Polyjuice Potion
by obsessedteenagefangirl
Summary: Three years ago, the violent seperation of Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy shook the wizarding world. Now, life has gone on, but a sudden newspaper headline forces Hermione to flee her magical life and live the life of a muggle. Soon after, a new found friendship with another grey eyed man begins to heal her heart, but what will happen when his true identity is uncovered?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey there! My name is Paige and this is my first published STORY! (I have a Fremione one shot, go check it out!) I have a rough story line for this story, but this is only the first chapter. Please let me know if you would like to see more :)**

 **Disclaimer: Everything except the plot belongs to the amazing JK Rowling.**

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Hermione sat at her desk, furiously writing a proposal for a new law that would allow house elves wages, holidays and the allowance of days off if they, or their family, were in poor health. She stopped for a moment to stretch her hand and realized she needed to go the toilet. Finally. She couldn't count how much tea she had drunk in the last hour. She had done magic tests, of course. But she wanted to test the muggle way as well. She pulled a small box from her bag and hid it in her cloak. She walked quickly to the bathroom.

A few minutes later, she was frowning. She was definitely pregnant. This wasn't good at all. She couldn't have a child out of wedlock and she wasn't married yet. He'd always said he propose to her and when she came home to find the small box on his side of the bed one day, she knew it would happen any day now. But it still hadn't happened. She wanted to marry him so badly, and she knew he wanted the same, but they always said they wanted a long engagement. She would have to tell him about the baby, and they would be rushed to have the wedding so she was still thin on the day so no one would suspect she got pregnant before marriage.

Hermione left the bathroom and went back to her office, sitting down and taking a deep breath. She picked up her quill and went to compose a letter to Draco, saying they needed to talk and could he come to her office. It wasn't an ideal place to break the news of an heir, but it had to be done, and Hermione wasn't one to beat around the bush.

A knock on her office door sounded and she put down her quill, and looked up. "Come in" she called out, fixing her blazer. Her assistant walked in, holding an exquisite gold parchment letter.

"Mr Malfoy dropped this off for you, Miss Granger." She said, placing the letter gingerly on the desk. Hermione smiled at her and nodded.

"Thankyou, Miss Tildale. You are pardoned" She smiled as the young girl walked out. She picked up the letter and opened it. What did Draco want?

 _To the dear, the amazing and the lovely, one and only bookworm, Miss Hermione Jean Granger,_

 _Your exceptionally wonderful boyfriend, Draco Lucius Malfoy, requests your presence at 7pm this evening in the place where you shared your first kiss with him. However, there is requirement you must fulfill before this meeting. After work, you are to head straight to Paolo's Magical Hair and Beauty Salon in Diagon Alley, where you will spend two hours having your hair, make-up and nails done. Then, by a limousine awaiting you out the front of the salon, you are to return back to your apartment that you share with Draco, where, on your bed, there will be two packages awaiting your arrival. You are to put both on. Then you are to leave the apartment, and the limousine will take you to the meeting spot. If this sequence of events carries out smoothly, then you shall arrive at exactly 7pm. If that is to happen, you will need to leave your office now. You have been pardoned the rest of the afternoon off. Enjoy yourself, Miss Granger._

 _Forever and always and the deepest of love,_

 _Draco Malfoy._

Hermione's heart was thumping in her chest, and she reached down to mindlessly stroke her stomach. He'd only do this for one reason. He was going to propose tonight. Which was good, because then she could tell him about the baby. She read the letter again, then flew out of her chair in the most un-Hermione-like manner, grabbing her bag and running out of her office. She called out a goodbye to all her colleagues, leaving the Ministry. She walked briskly to the Salon and entered, where she was immediately rushed into a private room. Paolo stood over her, running his fingers through her hair, while two other women started fussing over her nails.

"Ah, Miss Granger. You are a lucky, lucky woman. Successful, acclaimed and the girlfriend of the dream man, Draco Malfoy" Paolo drawled, starting to fix her hair.

"Thankyou Paolo." Hermione responded, watching herself in the mirror. She decided to play innocent. "Do you know what Draco has planned?" She asked.

"Paolo knows, but he will not tell" He replied knowingly, with a wink. Hermione rolled her eyes, but smiled at the man, sitting back and relaxing as she was fussed over. After her nails were done in a magnificent deep blue colour, the two women started on her face. Hermione never wore make up, so this was quite foreign to her. She had to hold herself back from laughing as the two women kept making comments about her flawless skin and her amazing facial shape. As if right on cue, they were all done. Hermione's hair was pulled up into an elegant ponytail, and it was straight for once, and she almost couldn't recognize herself. She looked… beautiful. She quickly thanked Paolo and the ladies, giving them hugs, before leaving the salon. As per the letter, the limo was there, sitting idly, waiting for her. The driver smiled at her, opening the door.

"In you get Miss Granger, we have a time schedule to keep up to" He commented, and Hermione slid into the leather seat. This was heavenly.

"Now, I must ask you to be in and out of the apartment quickly, as you may know the meeting place is quite a while away" The driver asked as they were off. Hermione nodded. Before too much time passed, they were outside Hermione's building. She left the car with a quick "I'll be right back!" And made her way inside. Normally she would take the stairs, but the elevator was quicker. She reached her floor, and mentally cursed her decision to live right down the end of the hall. When she reached her door, she unlocked and stepped inside. She almost called out to Draco, but realized that he of course would not be here. She made her way to the bedroom, but stopped when she heard voices from inside. Moaning voices. Filled with dread and confusion, she pushed the bedroom door open. In the bed in a compromising position was Draco and someone who she had never met before.

"What the!" She cried out, stepping into the room. Draco looked up at her, a smirk marring his beautiful features.

"Oh" He said nonchalantly. He pulled himself from the arms of the girl, who had the grace to look ashamed and stepped towards Hermione. "Welcome home, mudblood"

"Draco… what? I don't understand… your letter"

"Oh yes, quite convincing wasn't it? I bet you thought I was going to propose, hey? Well let me tell you, I would never propose to the likes of you. You're just a dirty mudblood slut. Not good enough for a Malfoy. Why would I marry you? You're filthy. You would never soil the pure Malfoy line with your dirty blood. I never loved you. I was using you, for fame. Restore respect to the family name. Get into the pants of one of the Gryffindor Princess, the golden girl, and everything would be forgiven." He spat at her, backing her up against the wall. Hermione's eyes narrowed, but her palms sweated. What was going on? Draco had never done anything like this before. But maybe this was how he felt, this was his ambition. A pitiful way to hurt one third of the Golden Trio, whom he hated so much. A way to make his family seem good, by dating the "brightest witch of her age". In that moment, two years of pure and unadulterated happiness left Hermione and she was left cold. Her bored straight into Draco's grey ones.

"Oh, but I already have. I'm pregnant. I've already soiled your precious Malfoy line!" Hermione shot back, her eyes firing up. Draco laughed.

"Oh really? Not for long, bitch." His wand flew straight into his head and he shoved it against her stomach. Hermione's eyes widened.

"No!" She cried, but with muttered words, an icy cold feeling spread through her and it felt as if her stomach had dropped completely. She was no longer pregnant, and it happened in a matter of seconds. She managed to pull her wand free of her bag and acting quickly, she shot a spell at Draco and he collapsed and she ran from the room. She fled the apartment, not looking back.

DMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHGDMHG

Days grew to weeks, weeks grew to months and eventually months grew to years.

It had been three years since Hermione left Draco unconscious in the bedroom of their penthouse apartment in muggle London.

After two months, he stopped sending letters. After a year he was spotted with other women, after two years he was eventually married.

Hermione eventually got together with Ron, and that was the definite end to the whirlwind romance of Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger.

Hermione threw herself into her work, she was working fourteen hours a day, leaving her almost no time for her boyfriend and certainly no time to think about Draco.

He became a taboo in the Potter/Weasley households, after he was mentioned in passing by Ginny and Hermione locked herself in her room for ten hours.

But Hermione got better. Her heart and her mind began to heal, and with the promotion to junior assistant to the Minster of Magic she returned to the Hermione that everyone knew and loved.

Ron proposed the night she received the promotion. Hermione accepted and the next few months were filled with wedding plans. Hermione was ecstatic. Until one day, a newspaper article brought the Wizarding world to its knees. An article that Hermione, it seems, would be the last to know about.

It started off as any other day. She woke up, got ready in her usual clothes for work, a high waisted sensible length pencil skirt, a silk blouse (today's colour is a deep green), skin-coloured stockings and sensible heels, her favourite dark blue cloak over the top. A hot cup of coffee and a croissant lay waiting for her on the kitchen bench beside Ron, like every morning, and like every morning he was wolfing down bacon and eggs and reading the newspaper. Hermione entered the kitchen, kissing Ron on the forehead.

"Good morning, Ron. Anything interesting in the paper this morning?" She asked him, sliding in to the chair beside him to tuck into her breakfast. Ron hastily made to shut the paper up and tuck it away out of sight.

"No, dear. Nothing of interest. A new death eater capture, but that is just about it. The usual stuff" He replied, throwing an arm around her chair, giving her a half-hearted hug.

"Shame. Today just seems like one of those days where the _Prophet_ goes 'hey we haven't had anything big in a while, lets publish something scandalous enough to rock the world, like a murder or rumours of a new Dark Lord'. Remember when they did that?" Hermione coughed a laugh out and Ron smiled at her uneasily.

"Maybe that'll be tomorrow. Or the next day. I don't know. But what I do know is that there was nothing of interest" Hermione quirked an eyebrow at him, but shrugged it off. She finished her breakfast and stood up.

"I've got to go, dear. Big day ahead of me, the Minister needs me present for all of his appointments today, to record them all down. The first one starts in twenty minutes. I'll see you tonight" Ron stood up and enveloped her in his arms tightly, kissing her on the forehead.

"I love you, no matter what happens, Mione. Okay?" He said sincerely, his eyes connected with hers. Hermione looked at him strangely.

"I know. I love you too" She shook off his weird proclamation of love. Normally it was "love you, babe". She smiled at him, pulling away from his arms as she disapparated. Ron looked at the spot where his fiancée stood, and frowned. This was not good. How long could the article be hidden from her?

Hermione arrived at work in a good mood. She strode confidently along the halls, calling out a good morning to everyone cheerfully. She didn't notice the wary looks she was receiving, or the people who avoided her eye. She walked into her office with ten minutes to spare until the meeting between the Minister and some other important person who she couldn't remember the name of. She began to sort through some paperwork that she hadn't got to yesterday, when the senior assistant the Minister walked in.

"Hermione?" He asked warily. He was a kind old man, he had known Kingsley since childhood.

"Yes, Robert?" She replied.

"Mr Shacklebolt would like to have a quick word to you before his meeting" He said. Hermione nodded and left her office, making her way into the Minister's.

"Hermione" Kingsley's voice almost boomed. Hermione liked his voice, there was something oddly calming about it. Like, when he was around, everything was going to be okay.

"Good morning, sir" She smiled at him. He frowned slightly.

"Hermione, are you okay?"

"Yes, of course I would be. I'm great actually! The suns out, the day is early and I'm getting married in a month!" She replied gleefully. Kingsley frowned.

"You don't know, do you?"

"Know what, sir? What has happened?" She bit her lip. "What's going on?"

Kingsley moved around the table, picking up the paper.

"Is that today's paper?" She asked, and he nodded. "Ron said there wasn't anything of import in it, this morning. He would have said something if something bad had happened…" Kingsley handed her the paper.

"You should read this, Hermione…" He said gravely, and Hermione took the paper from him, her eyes immediately finding what he was talking about.

 _ **THE TRUTH BEHIND THE MALFOY-GRANGER SEPERATION- DRACO SPEAKS OUT!**_

 _This is Rita Skeeter, with something that will shake the entire foundations of the world as we know it. Last night, a dirty, crazed and bald headed Draco Malfoy turned up at the headquarters of_ the Daily Prophet _, demanding to be interviewed. Intrigued, I sacrificed an early night for what I know now is one of the most scandalous things I'll ever write about._

 _We talked for six hours. He took a bottle of veritserum in front of me, so I was sure he was telling the truth. It was; and here it is:_

 _ **Draco: Everything everyone knows about the separation is a lie. Even Hermione doesn't know the truth.**_

 _This shocked me- how could someone not know the truth about their own break up?_

 _ **Draco: Only I know the truth, and my parents.**_

 _ **Me: What do your parents have to do with it?**_

 _ **Draco: The day of the breakup, I was planning to take Hermione out on a romantic picnic in a meadow where we had our first kiss. I wanted to propose. I treated her to an afternoon of pampering and everything, I knew it would be perfect. I asked my mother to help make food for the picnic. All of Hermione's favourites. I thought the conversation was private, but it turns out my Father heard it all. He flew into a great rage, and locked both my mother and I in the dungeons at the Manor. He ripped a great chunk of hair from my head. Then he disappeared for hours. I was filled with dread- what was he going to do to my Hermione? I tried sending a patronus to warn her but the dungeon had a charm on it that removed all magic powers from the prisoner. When he came back, he had a disgusting grin on his face. He downed a bottle of veritaserum, so we knew he wasn't lying, then relayed the events back to us. Under polyjuice potion, he picked a random witch off the street and took her back to the apartment Hermione and I shared, at the precise time Hermione would be coming home. She walked in to find them in our bed, in the middle of sex. Before she could react, my father had her pinned against the wall. He hurtled insult after insult at her; she was a mudblood, a slut, she would never soil the Malfoy line, I would never truly love her, I was using her for fame. But my strong Hermione, she fought back. She said she'd already "soiled the Malfoy line". She was pregnant.**_

 _At this point, Draco started crying. I was speechless. Hermione was pregnant? Lucius Malfoy acting as his son? It was scandalous, an outrage!  
_

 _ **Me: Draco, I really don't know what to say… Poor Hermione, poor you!**_

 _ **Draco: He then performed some kind of dark spell on her. She lost the baby, but the spell would also render her infertile. She doesn't know that though. She will never have children again. She always wanted them, too. Hermione managed to escape after that. My father came home, but he decided his fun wasn't over. He sent her horrible, disgusting letters; penned with my name. Some were even howlers. Then he eventually stepped out in public, as me. He had affair after affair after affair. He would relay back to us each and every detail. It sickened me. Then, as if to prove a point, he married a Greengrass. Astoria, I think.**_

 _ **Me: Ah yes, perhaps the most outrageous thing to hit the media. It was everywhere. We tried to get an interview from Hermione about it but she refused. But the next thing we know, she and Ron Weasley were engaged. Retaliation, I suppose.**_

 _ **Draco: Weasley will make her happy.**_

 _ **Me: So how did you escape the dungeon?**_

 _ **Draco: I'm not quite sure. It happened in a few seconds. He was bringing us bread, for lunch, and somehow I stole his wand. I think I paralysed him. I got out, and the first thing I thought to do was to go straight to Hermione, but I knew she probably wouldn't listen. So I came here, and I'm so glad I did. Everyone needed to know the truth, she needed to know the truth. Hermione was my love, my life, my everything. I loved her so much, I still do. I know she's engaged, I won't intrude on that. She deserves to be happy, but she also deserved to know the truth.**_

 _ **Me: What will you do now you've escaped your father's horrible tyranny over you and your mother?**_

 _ **Draco: It's simple. I will send him to Azkaban. But then I'll probably go away. I don't know where.**_

 _ **Me: Thankyou so much for coming here. It's so brave of you. Any last things to say? A message to Hermione?**_

 _ **Draco: I've said all I needed her to know. But I do have a message for Ron Weasley; look after my Hermione, please. Love her I do. Treat her every day, take her to exotic islands. Adopt children with her. Marry her. Grow old with her. Never let her out of your arms. I've transferred three quarters of the Malfoy fortune to the Weasleys, Merlin knows they deserve it.**_

 _That was the last thing he said before apparating away. And there you have it, folks! The 100% truth behind the scandal that tore the two most famous lovers in the Wizarding world apart. Will this change anything? Will Hermione and Ron stay engaged? Will Hermione and Draco reconcile? We will try hard to find out all this and more. Stay reading for the next few weeks and I promise to deliver all the answers. This is Rita Skeeter, bringing to you the juiciest news ever!_

Hermione read in silence, her hands steadily growing shakier. The paper fell from her hands and she stared at the floor.

"Hermione?" Kingsley touched her shoulder, and she burst into tears, folding over on herself. Kingsley ran his hand over her back.

"Hermione… you should go home… you shouldn't be here today. Go home and get some rest. And talk to Ron. He should have told you"

"But what about your meetings? You need me here. Honestly, a drink of water and I'll be fine. It's just a small hiccup in the plans" Hermione stood and wiped her face, breathing deeply. Kingsley shook his head.

"I admire your perseverance, but you need to go home" Kingsley put his hand on Hermione's back and led her out of the room. She followed reluctantly. Foregoing facing her colleagues, Hermione apparated straight from her office into her living room. Upon the sound of the usual crack, Ron, who had not yet left, looked up with a startled look. Hermione looked back at him, before her eyes clouded over.

"Ronald Bilius Weasley!" She cried, marching up to him, her wand pointed at his face. Ron's eyes widened and he stood up.

"Hermione! You're home early… what's happened?" He asked, wringing his hands together.

"What happened? WHAT HAPPENED? What happened, Ronald, is that you failed to tell me that Draco had gone to the Prophet about that night! And told the truth! You failed to tell me that the worst thing that had ever happened to me was all a ruse and the love of my goddamn life was framed by his own father and for three years I had been thinking that I'd been cheated and used! You failed to tell me that I am infertile! How could you? How could you not tell me? I would've found out eventually and I would have rather have heard it from you! Not my boss!" Hermione paced back and forth as she talked and Ron stared at her.

"Hermione… I'm sorry. But you were in such a good mood and I had planned to tell you but you just looked so happy and… wait… did you say love of your life? Malfoy was the love of your life?" Ron sat on the couch, rubbing his face. Hermione didn't reply, her mind ticking. Even after everything, she never stopped loving Malfoy. She knew in the deepest of her heart that she never stopped loving him and he still loved her.

"I love you Ron. I do. But I'm not… I'm not in love with you, I guess is what I'm trying to say. Draco was everything to me, the light of my life. But this news article doesn't change anything. It was still his face that did that, and I couldn't look at it without those awful memories resurfacing. But Ron, you deserve something better than a broken girl. Besides, all these years, it's been so good of you to stick buy me and support me, but you've always loved Lavender. I know that, I see it at all the parties" Hermione walked towards him, sitting beside him. Ron looked down, somewhat ashamed.

"I just wanted to make you happy."

"You did. But now you need to make yourself happy." Hermione smiled softly, kissing his cheek, before standing up. "I might go live with my parents for a little while, until things cool over. I miss them" Hermione summoned a bag and packed her things magically, being too tired to do things normally. Before she left, she walked over to Ron, enveloping him a quiet hug. She gently kissed him, before disapparating.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Here it is! Chapter 2! I know it's a little shorter than the first chapter but I felt as if it ended in a good place. Now, I just wanted to say, I am in my last year of high school and it is highly stressful. My goal is to update this story once a week, around the same time as this chapter has been put up, give or take, but if takes longer please don't abandon this story because I can promise it won't take me long. Please review and let me know what you think!_**

 ** _Disclaimer: As always, it belongs to Queen JK Rowling._**

* * *

 _Five months later_

Hermione woke up, the sun streaming through her curtains. She yawned, sitting up in bed. She wiped her eyes and pulled the sheets off. She felt content today, happy. Three years and five months since she felt that way. It was a strange feeling, she realized. She slid out of bed and pulled on a blue dress, deeming that nice enough for the day at the bookshop. About two months after moving back in with her parents, an advertisement in the newspaper asked for someone able to work four days a week there. She jumped at the chance to do something. She loved her job, the customers were wonderful and she got to spend the day surrounded by things she loved. That was also the day she decided to put her wand away for a while, and rekindle her muggle side. So far it was working out well. She even had date tonight, with one of the regulars at work. He was in almost every day she was working. He was fairly tall, a lean musculature with shaggy brown hair and the deepest grey eyes that reminded her of Draco, but she wouldn't admit it at all. He'd always buy a book she recommended and nothing else. Last week, he asked her out for dinner. Tonight was the night. Admittedly, she was kind of nervous. Which was weird, because she hadn't been nervous since her first few dates with Draco.

Hermione made her way downstairs, discarding breakfast, and left for work with a quick goodbye to her parents. Arriving at the shop, she opened up. The morning went kind of slowly, which was usual, but when it hit the afternoon, at 3pm precisely, the doorbell signaled and in walked _him._ Hermione smiled.

"Good afternoon, Jake" She called, smiling. He smiled back at her.

"Good afternoon, pretty lady. Got anything for me today?" He leaned against the counter, his eyes sparkling. She chuckled.

"Trust you to finish an 800 page book in one night… the new book for that series you were reading awhile back just came in this morning. I could probably do a special discount just for you. You are in here every day, and a lot of your money gets us through. I mean, I don't know how you afford it, to be honest" She laughed, pulling a very new looking book from underneath the counter, handing it to him.

"I get by" He winked, taking the book, and pulling out his wallet. "How much?" Hermione studied him, then shook her head.

"No charge, you can review the book for us. The boss won't mind anyway, she loves you" She replied, and Jake smiled at her.

"Hermione, you're the best" He grinned. "Well, I better get home. I'll pick you up at 6, sharp. I can't wait until tonight" He winked at her, leaning over and kissing her cheek in lightning speed, before swaggering out the door. Hermione touched her cheek, a grin forming on her lips. She looked at the clock, it was only 3:20. This afternoon would drag.

Eventually, it hit five and Hermione cleared everything, locked the till and left the shop, locking the door behind her. It would take fifteen minutes to get home, leaving her with not that much time to get ready, but if she apparated… Hermione shook her head, she'd promised not to. She began the walk, striding briskly and quickly. She began to think about Jake, was it too soon after Draco and Ron? Surely not… It was time she move on. She had to continue her life.

Normally, Hermione would cross the road before she walked past the pub, but being so deep in thought, she didn't and as a result, she found herself walking past a pack of men, smoking, drinking and leering at her. She kept her head high, moving past them quickly, but one of them called out to her.

"Hey there pretty lady!" One of the man, large and beef, sidled up towards her. Hermione ignored him and kept walking. "Oi! I'm talking to you!" He grabbed her arm, and Hermione whirled around.

"Get your hands off me, right now" She warned, staring at him.

"Oh yeah, and what are you going to do? C'mon love, have some fun with me" He smirked, pulling her close. Hermione shoved against him, but before she could do anything, a voice that sent chills down her spine came from behind her.

"Let her go, now" It spoke, smooth as velvet, but deadly. The man let Hermione go, and turned towards the voice. Hermione was too scared to turn, that voice was so familiar. So Draco-like.

"What are you going to do, pretty boy? Wouldn't want to mar that face of yours!" Hermione was frozen in her spot, as she heard a scuffle behind her. The other drunk guys, who had been staring this whole time, ran off as the large man fell to the ground beside her. She looked down. She heard footsteps. She didn't want to turn. If she turned, she knew she would see Draco. He would be there and she couldn't deal with that. It had been over three years and she still didn't think she was ready for that.

"Hermione?" The voice was soft, subtle. A hand touched her shoulder, then her chin, forcing her face up. Her eyes found grey ones, and she held her breath in, before she realized. Brown hair, not blonde. It was Jake, not Draco. She relaxed, throwing herself into his arms.

"Oh Jake!" She buried her face in his shoulders, and he rubbed his hand over her back.

"Hermione, Hermione. Thank Merlin you're okay. Where was your wand? You could have blasted that scum to bits!" He exclaimed. Hermione's head snapped up.

"What?" She blanched. How does he know? She never told him! He frowned, then widened his eyes in realization.

"We should talk somewhere private. Are you right to apparate?" She nodded once, and he folded her in his arms, turning on the spot. They landed in a living room, obviously his apartment. She pulled away quickly, folding her arms across herself defensively.

"How did you know?" She demanded, glaring at him.

"I should have told you… I knew you from fourth year at Hogwarts. Well, I didn't go to Hogwarts. I was at Durmstrang. But I went for the Tri-Wizard Tournament…" He sat down, rubbing his face and sighing. "I'm sorry, Hermione..."

"Why didn't you tell me?!" She shook her head. "I tried to get away from that part of me for a while…" She bit her lip, turning away.

"Why?" He asked, looking at her back.

"Like you don't know. The infamous Malfoy-Granger scandal?" She replied bitterly.

"Oh, that"

"Yeah. That"

"I'm sorry… you just seemed so happy, really. I understand though, it must have been… terrible"

Hermione shook her head, then sighed, letting her features soften. "It was worse. But that's in the past now, let's just think about you and me, okay?"

Jake nodded, looking up at her. "Can do, pretty lady" He grinned. Hermione mustered a smile and Jake took her hand, kissing it gently.

"I believe we have a date, Miss Granger" He said huskily, and Hermione found herself blushing at the brown haired man in front of her.

"I believe we do" She repeated. She looked down her dress and fiddled with it. "If you give me five, I can get home and change"

He shook his head, "No need, you look great. Perfect, really, for this evening" He chuckled to himself as he stood up and Hermione raised an eyebrow.

"And what exactly does this date involve?" She asked slyly, looping her arm through his.

"You'll just have to wait and see, my dear" He murmured, and she groaned. She caught his eyes in her own and they sparkled with humour, and Hermione was transported back to the time they first met.

 _3 months earlier_

 _It was her very first shift at the bookshop and her boss, a lovely old lady that went by the name of Adeline had slipped out the back to look for a book for a customer. Hermione was watching the clock, and just as it ticked over to 3pm, the bell on the door rung and in walked the seventh customer of the day. Not taking much notice, Hermione moved to re-organise some things on the fiction shelf. She assumed he was just having a look, so she hummed and kept busy. She moved back to the counter and moved around some papers, when a thump of a heavy book jolted her. She glanced upwards and her breath hitched. How had she not noticed him when he walked in? He was gorgeous. She found her eyes involuntarily raking across his torso, clad in a tight shirt and leather jacket, and his flawless face. But it was his eyes that stopped her completely. He had_ those _eyes. She shook her head and mentally made a side-note that no one except Draco could have those eyes. He cleared his throat expectantly and Hermione smiled at him, her face flushing slightly. She waved down at the book, focusing on what was in front of her._

" _Great book, really" She commented. The man shrugged at her._

" _Haven't read it" he said nonchalantly._

" _Dickens is one of my favourites" Hermione pressed, trying to engage him in conversation._

" _So you would recommend it?" He asked her, and Hermione eagerly nodded. "What else would you recommend?" He relaxed against the counter casually and Hermione grinned._

" _So much. The Bronte sisters are fabulous, and so is Tolkein and ooooh! Dante!" She gushed and he laughed at her enthusiasm._

" _So you love to read" He laughed, and Hermione chuckled._

" _You could say that. Books are a great escape" She toned down her excitement slightly and settled for smiling at him._

" _I'm Jake" He said, extending his hand out._

" _Hermione" She replied, shaking it. They both fell silent, hand in hand, eyes locked on the other before laughing nervously and letting go. Jake tapped on the book._

" _How much?" He asked._

 _Hermione thought for a moment, trying to remember the price. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Adeline walk up to them._

" _10 dollars" She answered in place of Hermione. Hermione smiled in thanks and Jake fished out the money from his pocket._

" _Here you go" He responded. Hermione took the money and said her thanks. Jake tucked the book underneath his arm, winked at Hermione and swaggered out of the shop. Hermione smiled to herself, feeling slightly giddy._

 _Adeline surveyed Hermione, smirking slightly._

" _What?" Hermione asked her._

" _Oh… nothing dear. It just seems like someone has a little crush, that's all…" She commented, busying herself with opening a box of new books that arrived that morning. Hermione blushed furiously._

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 ** _Next chapter will be up next week. As a side, can anyone guess who Jake is? ;) (I guess the title of the story kind of speaks for itself, haha) Until next time! Please review!_**


	3. Chapter 3

**Well the last few months flew... I would just like to say that I am very sorry to the few people who have read this story, because I unintentionally put myself on a hiatus and forgot to mention anything. But good news! I'm back! I've just finished high school (forever! Yay!) and so I have a lot more free time on my hands to continue working on this story. So, I've decided to do a double update, and from now on updates should come weekly on Wednesdays, unless I say otherwise.**

 **I do not own Harry Potter or the characters mentioned in this story (unless I state otherwise), as they all belong to the wonderful J.K Rowling. Also, the quote in this chapter is not mine either, it's from Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights (which I also do not own). I know it's a little short but I'm hoping that the next chapter makes up for it. So, have a read of this next chapter and if you could, please leave a review! It would be much appreciated :)**

 **Previously on _Polyjuice Potion_ : It has been three years and five months since things ended between Hermione and Draco, and she has slowly found inner peace after locking her wand away and trying her hardest to forget the man that tore her heart to pieces, even though a publicised revelation from the man himself said it was his father that had stolen his identity and ruined Hermione. She formed a close bond with a new grey-eyed man, Jake, and is accepting the idea of a new relationship.**

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Returning from her memory, Hermione was overcome with happiness. She shot a dazzling smile at the man in front of her.

"So… are you going to tell me where we are going?" She asked. Jake shook his head, smirking.

"No way. It's a surprise" He replied, and Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Of course it is. So, how are we getting there? Apparating, thestrals, train, car, bus?" Hermione listed modes of transport, ticking them off her fingers as she went. Jake laughed and shook his head.

"We are walking."

"Oh?" She quirked an eyebrow and he just shook his head.

"Come on pretty lady"

Hermione and Jake left his apartment. The street was quiet and the sun was beginning to set behind the mountains in the far off distance. After a while of comfortable silence, Jake tentatively touched Hermione's wrist, before clasping his hand in her own. Hermione found a smile creeping across her face and she bit her lip, trying not to look too pleased with herself. With Ron, there was never much silence. If he wasn't talking, he was eating, and if he wasn't doing either of those two things he was lumbering around their small flat singing. Anytime their conversations fell silent, he somehow found some way to make more noise. Though with Draco, silence seemed to be treasured between them. Silence was a time for a thousand things to be communicated through just sitting there, holding each other. Silence was what followed their first kiss, silence after their first argument as a couple, silence when she met his parents as his girlfriend, silence when Harry and Ron found out. But silence seemed their easiest form of communication, they were so fine tuned to each others thoughts and feelings that they didn't need to convey their thinking processes out loud too often. They just knew. It was almost the same with Jake, almost. Almost, because Hermione was sure what she had with the man she once hated could not be reciprocated with anyone else.

"We are here" Jake commented quietly.

"Where _are_ we" Hermione breathed in awe.

"My favourite place to go in the whole world, apart from your bookshop" He replied.

Jake and Hermione had walked into an open meadow that was surrounded by tall pine trees. Beds of flowers were scattered around the trunks of the trees, bursts of colours backed against a relaxing brown. In the middle of the meadow sat a checked picnic blanket, a wicker basket filled to the brim with all things sweet and savoury, and small pile of books. Hermione turned in wonder to Jake, who was smirking proudly, happy with his efforts. Hermione threw her arms around his neck and let out a laugh.

"This is amazing!" She whispered into his ear, and the heat of his breath ticked her own ear as he laughed softly. He let her go and led her over to the blanket. They both sat down, and Jake pulled open the basket.

"I figured we can start with the sandwiches and wine, then there is a selection of savoury biscuits and dips, and then I thought we could finish with the chocolate dipped strawberries and the dark chocolate cheesecake. I brought some books because I thought we could read to each other once we've finished eating. It's not a fancy dinner date or anything but—ʺ Hermione stopped him with a kiss to the cheek, and he blushed slightly.

"Shh, it's amazing. I love it" She grinned brightly at him. He chuckled, handing her a ham and cheese sandwich. The next few minutes past on in silence as the two ate. Once the sandwiches, wine and biscuits were polished off between small conversation, Jake picked up a book, flicked to a random page, and started reading aloud.

"I've no more business to marry Edgar Linton than I have to be in heaven; and if the wicked man in there had not brought Heathcliff so low, I shouldn't have thought of it. It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now; so he shall never know how I love him: and that, not because he's handsome Nelly, but because he's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same; and Linton's is as different as a moonbeam from lightning, or frost from fire." Hermione listened in silence as Jake spoke.

"Wuthering Heights" She whispered when he had finished the paragraph.

"Your favourite" Jake replied, smiling.

"How did you know?" Hermione questioned him, looking puzzled. She was sure she had never told him.

"Oh… I think you mentioned it in passing one time…" Jake's trail of thought wandered off, but Hermione's head was in an entirely different place.

 _He's more myself than I am. Whatever our souls are made of, his and mine are the same._ Those words bounced around in Hermione's head. Draco was Hermione's Heathcliff. Draco was Hermione's. They were one in the same.

Memories upon memories came flashing back into Hermione's head, hitting her like bricks every time. Happy memories, sad memories, angry memories. Everything. Hermione looked at Jake, who had his eyes closed, his face turned up at the sky.

"Jake…" She said softly, dreading breaking the silence.

"Yes, pretty lady?" He responded, his eyes still closed.

"I think I should see Draco, I think I need to hear it from him" She bit her lip, studying his face for a reaction. It remained blank.

"I thought he went away, into hiding or whatever" Jake said carefully, opening his eyes and looking at the girl in front of him.

"I know how to find him. I just… I need to see him. Talk to him about what happened. For closure, at least"

"Closure?" Jake frowned. "Why do you need closure?"

"I can't stop thinking about how things ended. It was wrong, what Lucius Malfoy did. And Draco should know I don't blame him" Hermione stood up. "I'll go back to London tomorrow, talk to Harry. He would have to know something"

"Hermione, are you sure?" Jake stood up and took her hands.

"Positive. It's something I need to do." Hermione placed one hand on his cheek. "Thankyou. You are amazing. Tonight was amazing" She pressed a light kiss on his lips, before stepping away from him. She turned on the spot, and disappeared into the night. Jake stood dumbfounded, basked in the light of the moon, wondering what in the name of sweet Merlin he had gotten himself into.

Hermione landed in the middle of her bedroom, breathing heavily. The words that Jake had read out to her snapped something in her brain. Something that hadn't been snapped since the last time she saw Draco. She paced around the floor, her mind working overtime, trying to quell the full force of her thoughts and emotions. A knock on her door pulled her away from her thinking process. She opened the door to find her mother standing there.

"Hermione? Are you okay? We heard a loud noise coming from up here…" She said. Her voice cracked with age, and Hermione smiled gently.

"Yeah, mum. I just apparated" She laughed

"Oh… what was that again?" Her mother asked, frowning slightly

"When you turn on the spot, think of a place you want to be and appear there" Hermione explained. Her mother nodded.

"Right, okay" Jean Granger shook her head slightly and walked off, mumbling about magic and the weird way wizards travelled.

Hermione shut her bedroom door and moved to flop down onto her bed. Without getting changed, she crawled under the covers and thought long and hard about what she would say to Harry tomorrow. She eventually succumbed to sleep, though her dreams were plagued with grey eyes and Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights.


	4. Chapter 4

**Yay for double updates! As stated in the previous chapters, I don't own Harry Potter and anything affiliated. I'm just an obsessed teenage fan girl with a wild imagination! Reviews are really appreciated, I would love to know what you think of my story :)**

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When Hermione woke up, her stomach was quickly filled with butterflies. She hadn't seen Harry in quite a while and she wasn't sure how he would react to her sudden reappearance in the Wizarding World. She wasn't quite sure how anyone would react…. Although she knew the Prophet would have a field day. She slid out of bed and pulled on a pair of suit pants and a light red blouse. She slid her feet into a pair of flat and clipped part of her back off her face. Glancing at the clock, she knew Harry would be at his office at the moment. She went to her closet and pulled down a slim box. She breathed in deeply and opened it. Cradled in a bed of fine silk sat her wand. When she picked it up, she felt warmth stretch from the tips of her fingers to the rest of her body. She had missed magic. She pointed her wand at her beaded bag on the dresser, and it flew straight into her hand. She grinned in delight. She pocked the wand in her bag, checked over herself in the mirror, before apparating into the middle of the main foyer of the Ministry of Magic.

All around her, wizards and witches bustled about, and she appeared to go unnoticed. Remembering the layout of the building from her time working there, she quickly made her way to the elevators. As she walked, she begun to notice heads turning her way and whispers of her name. Holding her head high and striding quickly, she walked towards the elevators, before she was stopped.

"Hermione Granger? You're Hermione Granger!" An unfamiliar man yelled loudly in her face. Hermione flinched as many people stopped and looked at him in interest. Many more people started to say her name, and all of a sudden she was surrounded by people, clambering for a look at the girl who had disappeared for months. Hermione started to sweat nervously, she had misjudged the attention she would receive. She began to run towards an elevator that was empty as people followed her. People tried to stop her as she ran, and she suddenly thought of the time her, Harry and Ron had broken into the Ministry. She managed to snag the empty elevator, pulling the door shut behind her quickly. Many wizards and witches pushed against the elevator, but Hermione jabbed at a button and the elevator lurched backwards, then upwards. Hermione collapsed against the wall, breathing heavily. She noticed a tear in her shirt and cursed silently. The elevator dinged and the door opened into the bustling Auror department. Thinking quickly, she cast a glamour charm on herself, wondering why she hadn't thought of that earlier.

She stepped out of the elevator, and started making her way to Harry's office. She was about to push the door open, when she was stopped by a young blonde woman.

"Excuse me, you can't go in there." She said, pushing Hermione back slightly.

"What? Why?" Hermione questioned in disbelief.

"Mr Potter is extremely busy right now, and does not have time to see anyone" The woman replied, folding her arms. "You will have to make an appointment"

"An appointment?" Hermione was incredulous. An appointment to see her best friend? Ridiculous.

"Yes. His earliest available time-slot is next week"

"Please, it's urgent," Hermione pleaded, but the woman just sighed.

"I'm sorry, Mr Potter is not available" The woman snapped, not sounding very sorry at all. Hermione grew agitated.

"Please, just tell him Herm- Penelope Clearwater is here to see him" Hermione begged, feeling defeated. The woman rolled her eyes, but nodded.

"Fine. But he does not want to see anyone" The woman knocked on the door. A muffled "come in" was heard, and Hermione relaxed at the sound of Harry's voice.

"Sir, a Penelope Clearwater is here to see you" The woman said.

"Andrea, I'm really busy right now. I told you; I'm not accepting visitors today" Hermione's shoulders slumped, and she sighed.

"Sir, she says it's important" The woman, Andrea, turned to Hermione with an 'I-told-you-so' look on her face and Hermione stared her down with a cold look.

"Fine" Harry replied. Andrea looked at Hermione, who was standing still.

"Well?" She pressed. Hermione shook her head and stepped in to the office, holding her breath.

"How can I help you, Ms Clearwater" Harry asked, sounding tiresome. He kept on scribbling notes down on paper, not looking up. Hermione shut the door, and removed the glamour charm.

"Harry..." She said softly.

"Look, Ms Clearwater, I'm quite busy, if you hadn't noticed" He put his pen down, rubbing his hands in his hair. "Please, just say what….." Harry trailed off as he looked up, and his eyes widened. "Hermione?" He asked.

Hermione nodded, a small smile on her face.

"Hi, Harry" She replied. The be-speckled man jumped from his chair and flew across the room. He pulled Hermione into a tight hug, and when he pulled back, she could spot tears in her eyes.

"Now now, Harry, there's no need to cry" She chuckled under her breath, wiping his eyes for him.

"Hermione… When… how… why…." He stammered, examining her.

"This morning, apparition, I needed to talk to you" She answered his unfinished questions with a smirk. He suddenly let her go and furrowed his eyebrows.

"You left." He said solemnly. Hermione sighed.

"I couldn't stay. Everything that happened with Draco… that newspaper article…."

"I could have helped you!" He spoke strongly, folding his arms.

"I needed to be alone, Harry… you have to understand that" Hermione whispered. Harry's physique softened, and he pulled her into another hug.

"Of course you did. I'm sorry" He said. Hermione smiled. "Now, what did you want to talk about?" He asked. Hermione breathed in deeply.

"I need your help."

"With what?"

"With finding Draco"

Harry was silent.

"Why?"

"I need to talk to him."

"Why?" He repeated, mimicking a broken record.

"It's… difficult to explain" Harry nodded and Hermione relaxed, knowing he wouldn't question her further, he probably knew anyway.

"Well, no one has seen him since the day he met with Skeeter…." Harry looked into nothing.

"But?" Hermione prompted. There had to be a but…

"But the next morning, when I came into work, there was a letter on my desk, addressed to me. From him" Harry walked over to his bookshelf, and pulled out an old copy of _Hogwarts, A History._ Hermione raised an eyebrow. He flicked through the book, and pulled out an envelope. Silently, he handed it to Hermione. Her heart beating faster, she opened the envelope and pulled out a piece of parchment.

 _For the eyes of Harry Potter, and he only._

 _Potter,_

 _I can't begin to apologise for the harm I have caused Hermione. However, I will not apologise on the behalf of my father, Lucius Malfoy, because there is not a bone in his body that would feel remorse._

 _I will always love Hermione. And though I cannot distraught her more by facing her now, I know someday she will, in her nature, want to talk to me._

 _As such, I am entrusting to you to the knowledge of my whereabouts, should such occasion ever rise._

 _You, or Hermione, can find me at 657 Everglow Crescent, Little Herring._

 _Draco Malfoy_

Hermione memorised the address before handing the letter back to Harry.

"Thankyou" She said.

"Good luck, Hermione. And remember, whatever happens, I'm there for you" He replied. The two hugged, before Hermione apparated straight from his office to the middle of a quiet street. Hermione looked at her surroundings; identical, two story houses lined both sides of the street, with perfectly trimmed hedges and bay windows. Hermione repeated the address under her breath softly, looking around. Bronze numbers on a white mailbox ten metres from her read '657'.

Taking a deep breath, she walked towards the house. It was modest, with a cottage-feel to it. Flowerbeds sat under each window and along the pathway to the door were tiny rose bushes, neatly trimmed. With a start, Hermione realised it was the kind of house she would love to settle down in. Taking a deep breath, she walked up to the door and paused with her hand in the air. Sudden thoughts of running away entered her mind, and she almost turned away. It had been so long, though she didn't know if she was ready yet. Mustering her supposed Gryffindor courage, she rapped on the door three times.

A middle-aged, brunette woman answered the door with a smile on her face.

"Hello, can I help you?" Hermione blinked. This wasn't the person she was expecting to see.

"Yes, um, I'm here to see Draco Malfoy" Hermione stammered. The girl raised an eyebrow.

"And you are?"

"An old friend" Hermione replied. The woman crossed her arms and stared quizzically at her. Hermione grew impatient and flustered.

"Mr Malfoy has strongly warned me against letting _old friends_ into his house" The woman smirked, and Hermione clenched her fists.

"Look, I don't know who you are but I can assure you that—"

"Naomi? Who is at the door?" A deep voice called from inside the house. Hermione blinked as memories came rushing back at the sound of the velvety voice she had known so well.

"No one of importance, Mr Malfoy. They were just leaving" The young woman, Naomi, stared expectantly at Hermione, who's face grew read.

Desperate, Hermione called out. "Draco! It's Hermione!" There was a clashing from inside, and all of a sudden Hermione was faced with the man who was once the love of her life. His face was slightly flushed and his hair was a mess.

"Hermione?" He whispered. Naomi huffed and rolled her eyes, stalking back into the house.

"Hi, Draco" Hermione replied, her voice hushed. Her eyes raked over his form. He was skinny, almost too skinny—he had lost all of those muscles that he had gained playing Quidditch. His eyes were sunken in with fatigue and his hair was lank and greasy. It hurt Hermione to think that his appearance was somewhat resembling to hers when the incident happened. "You look…"

"Horrible?" He finished for her, with a small smile.

"Something like that" She laughed softly, and he joined her. The laughter died down in a matter of seconds, replaced with silence.

"Why don't you come inside?" He suggested, and Hermione nodded quickly. They walked into the living room, a nice homely area with a fireplace. "Naomi?"

The brunette woman walked into the room with a bored look on her face.

"Yes, Mr Malfoy"

"Could you please make me a black coffee, and Hermione a white tea with one sugar?" He asked. Naomi nodded and walked back out of the room. Draco's head turned to Hermione with a start, realising what he had said.

"Sorry! I just assumed you'd want one… since you know… you love tea… and you always have tea when you're stressed… and you look stressed"

Hermione stared at him incredulously. "You still remember how I take my tea?" Draco blinked, and nodded slowly.

"Of course… I remember everything" He mumbled. Hermione's face flushed red and she smiled to herself. Naomi brought the steaming drinks back into the room, handing them their mugs respectively.

"Naomi, why don't you go home early? I'll be fine for the rest of the night"

"Okay, I'll see you in the morning Mr Malfoy" She grabbed her coat and left the house.

"She's not very friendly" Hermione commented.

"She's my housekeeper" Draco responded, staring into his cup. "She really is nice, she's just guarded against strangers. I've told her not to let anyone into the house that calls themselves an 'old friend' or 'one of Draco's kind'".

"Ahh" Hermione nodded, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Does she know about our world?"

"Yes. She's a squib" He said. Hermione nodded. "I didn't want any visitors of the wizarding kind, I wanted to go into hiding. My world was completely shaken up by what happened" Hermione sighed in understanding. "I assumed that's why you're here?" He asked.

"I wanted you to know that I don't blame you. Not at all. I was so mad, so angry at you for so long, I couldn't even hear your name. But then I saw the Prophet… and I just… all of those feelings went away. But I couldn't handle myself, so I guess I too went into hiding for a couple of months" Hermione took a deep breath. "I needed to talk to you, for closure. See, Draco, you were the love of my life… but I've met someone, and I can't move on without putting everything behind me"

Draco sat silently. He put his cup down onto the table in front of him, stood up, and walked towards Hermione. He knelt down in front of her, and took her hands in his.

"I don't really know what to say. You already know what happened—the whole truth. I guess I just have one question… is there any possible way you still love me?" He asked, staring into her eyes. She stared back, thinking hard about her answer. She nodded mutely. Draco's eyes lit up, a smile gracing his features. He leant over her, and gently tugged her face towards his, kissing her gently. Hermione responded positively at first, running her hands through his hair and deepening the kiss. She lost herself in the man she was desperately in love with, before her eyes flew open and she pushed Draco away.

"No, I can't…" She spoke, breathing deeply. She looked at Draco, his eyes deep with lust, his hair tousled and his chest rising and falling rapidly. "I'm sorry Draco, I do love you but… there is someone else, and I owe it to him to give it a chance"

Draco stepped back. "Hermione, there's something you should know…" He started, but she jumped out of her chair.

"No, I'm sorry. I have to go… I shouldn't have come. Or maybe I needed to. I don't know. I'll…. I'll see you around, Draco" Hermione grabbed her purse and flew out the front door, leaving a startled Draco behind. Draco ran to the kitchen and pulled a flask down from the highest cupboard. He downed the deep green liquid in one go, before clutching at the table next to him, as he lost a few centimetres from his height, his hair turned brown and his physique reflected one of a minor athlete.

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How was the reunion? I rewrote it so many times and this was the final result and I just hope it isn't too bad. Chapter 5 is well under way, and I'm feeling super excited about the direction of the story right now. Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5

**So, I finished this chapter early so I thought I would be super nice and upload it a day ahead of schedule! I now also have a Beta reader, a super smart, really good friend of mine, so hopefully she can pick up on mistakes that I haven't. Oooh, and thankyou so much to everyone who has followed/favourited/reviewed this story! It means so much to me that people actually like what I write.**

 **So, here we have it, chapter five. I hope you guys like it!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter!**

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Hermione didn't know where she was going. But she knew she had to go somewhere. When Jake read out that passage from Wuthering Heights, she thought she had figured everything out; but now, after seeing Draco, she was just confused. She loved Draco, but she also harboured very deep feelings for Jake. Jake deserved a chance. He had been nothing but good to her. Yes, she had long running deep history Draco, but there was something about Jake that drew her in, made her want to explore everything in his mind. He knew so much about her, yet it seemed as if she knew nothing and she didn't like that.

With new determination, Hermione resolved herself to finding everything about Jake that she could. She turned sharply on her heel, and found herself in front of his apartment, knocking on the door loudly.

"Jake? Jake, are you home?" She called out. There was a flurry of noise and the sound of locks being fiddled with, and the door swung upon.

"Hermione? What're you doing here?" He asked, looking worried. "Is everything okay?" He added.

"What's your favourite colour?" Hermione demanded, pushing past him into the apartment. She sat down onto the couch and stared at the brown haired man in front of her with determination.

"Uh…. Green?" His response was confused and slow. "Why?"

"Favourite food?" She pressed on. Jake sat down next to her.

"Pumpkin pie" He responded. "Hermione are you okay?"

"Favourite book?" She kept her gaze locked with his.

"Too many to choose from" He replied. "Uh… what's with the 20 questions?" He sat down beside her, gracing her with a look that was obviously one of concern.

"I know nothing about you, yet you seem to know everything about me. I don't like it. I want to know all about you" She stated, staring into his eyes. Jake looked away, shifting uncomfortably.

"There isn't much to know about me, Hermione…" He said without meeting her eyes. She frowned and tucked her hand under his chin, pulling his face straight so he had to look at her.

"Of course there is. I can tell; there's… something in your eyes. Something deep" She whispered, her eyes searching the depths of his as she spoke. Jake drew in a deep breath and smiled softly at the brunette in front of him.

"I swear that I will tell you all about myself one day, Hermione. It's just that today is not that day." His face held a mask of seriousness and he reached up to rest a hand on her cheek. "Besides, I know that if you look hard enough, you will find that you know _everything_ about me" He murmured, before he leant in and pressed his lips to her forehead. Hermione visibly relaxed her muscles at his touch, falling back into the lounge and pressing her hands to her face.

"I suppose I should make a formal return to the Wizarding World, now" She said casually, her fingers playing with the hem of her shirt.

"Yeah, probably. Damn… it was nice having you all to myself. I'll have to share you with all your friends" Jake replied, feigning a look of distaste, before Hermione grinned at him.

"You will love them" She insisted, reaching out to grab his hand. He entwined his fingers with hers, squeezing her hand.

"I'm sure I will" He smiled, though it did not reach his eyes. The next few minutes passed in silence, before Hermione drew a breath and stood up.

"I should probably go" She said, regret seeping into the tone of her voice. Jake nodded.

"Alright, will I see you tomorrow, at the bookshop?" He asked hopefully and Hermione smiled in response.

"3pm, as always" She replied, and he grinned.

"3pm then" He agreed, and Hermione made her way out his apartment.

* * *

When Hermione eventually returned home, a letter lay on the edge of her bed. Curious, Hermione picked it up and flipped it over, opening the envelope and pulling out the parchment.

 _Hermione,_

 _How could you come back and not come and see me! I've gone mental these past few months without any girlfriends to hang out with! Well… I have Lavender, but…. You know. She's Lavender._

 _Anyway, come and have dinner with us tonight! Be here at about six-thirty._

 _Love,_

 _Ginny._

Hermione smiled at the paper in her hands. She had missed Ginny so much, she was her first, and only, real friend that was a girl. Glancing at the clock on her bedside table, she realised she still had roughly two hours before she had to be at the Potters' very large manor. With that in mind, she made her way into the bathroom and ran a nice, hot bubble bath that she could relax into and forget about the stresses of the last couple of days.

The bath put Hermione's mind at ease, and as the bubbles swirled around her frame, she found her muscles unknotting and her brain almost switching off. Eventually though, the water cooled down too much for Hermione's liking, and she begrudgingly climbed out, tying her hair into a knot on top of her head and wrapping herself in a soft, cream-coloured towel.

The clock seemed to glare accusingly at her when she realised she had spent so much more time in the bath than she had intended to. Drying her hair with a flick of her wand, she managed to extract a comfortable pair of jeans and a nice top from her wardrobe for the dinner with the Potters. She couldn't help but wonder if Ron and Lavender would be there too, but she supposed they would be. They almost always had dinner together.

Once Hermione deemed herself presentable, she pocketed her wand and mentally prepared herself to reunite with her dearest friends for the first time in months. She pictured the Potter's manor in her mind, as she turned on the spot, finding herself on their doorstep. She raised her hand to knock, but before her knuckles connected with the wood, the door was flung open and her face was suddenly assaulted by tangles of flaming red hair. Hermione found herself in the vice grip of one Ginevra Weasley, now Potter, and affection for the younger woman immediately caused Hermione's eyes to swell up with tears. Ginny pulled back and her face was shining bright with a grin.

"I missed you so much!" She cried, pulling Hermione in for another hug. Hermione responded with a hearty laugh, as she squeezed the red-headed girl tightly.

"I missed you too Ginny" She replied. Ginny's face clouded over with annoyance very quickly, and she scowled accusingly at the brunette.

"I'm still mad at you for leaving" She stated, folding her arms. "Without even saying good-bye, as well! That deserves a bat-bogey hex at least"

Hermione took a step back, well aware of Ginny's talents with that certain curse. She raised her arms in defence and threw her friend a pleading look.

"Gin, I had to go… you heard what happened. It was too much for me to deal with" Hermione said softly, her shoulders slumping in defeat. Ginny's facial features relaxed as she reached out and squeezed Hermione's hand, offering her a warm smile.

"I know, I'm sorry… I just, it sucked not having you around, Hermione" The red-head replied, and Hermione squeezed her hand.

"Well I'm back now, and I promise I won't go again" She swore, and Ginny smiled.

"Good. Now, Ron and Lavender are coming tonight, I figured you would like to see them. And dinner is almost ready" Ginny motioned Hermione down the hallway of the Potter's large home. Harry had decided to occupy the Manor that had belonged to his family for generations, and Ginny was more than happy for the upgrade from her beloved childhood home. Though it was large, the nature of Ginny and Harry somehow kept their home modest, opting for warm tones that rivalled traditional Manors of other wealthy Wizarding families, such as Malfoy Manor. Ginny steered Hermione into their sitting room, which honoured the Gryffindor common room in many ways; the fireplace, the comfortable arm chairs and the red and gold tones. The familiarity of the area immediately put Hermione at ease, and she found herself accepting a cup of tea from Ginny as she sunk into one of the arm chairs. She was left alone in the room as Ginny went to make her some tea, though she did not mind one bit. Her silence was quickly interrupted though, with the sound of two loud men barging through the front door. The deep laugh of the youngest male Weasley echoed down the hall, and Hermione immediately shot out of her chair. She quickly manoeuvred through the sitting room and leant against the open door frame as Ron, and Harry, walked past. They were too immersed in their conversation to notice her however, so she walked behind them as they strolled into the kitchen.

Ron immediately picked up an apple from the bowl of fruit on the island bench and took a large bite, and Hermione found her chance to show her presence to the oblivious man. Her abilities with voiceless magic finding their use, she flicked her wand silently, and revelled in the joy of seeing Ron's perplexed, freckled face as his apple floated away from him, cocooning itself in Hermione's open palm. As his gazed followed the path of the fruit, his eyes widened and his mouth spread open in a grin.

"Hermione!" He shouted, as he shot up and bounded over to her. He easily scooped her up in a hug, swinging her around. Hermione began to laugh, as the sensation caused her to become light-heated. Ron set her down on her feet and held her steady as she swayed in her stance, and his bright blue eyes flicked over to a smug-looking Ginny and a grinning Harry.

"Why didn't you tell me she was back?" He boomed, before laughing gleefully and swinging an arm over Hermione's shoulder. Hermione snuggled into the embrace of the man she deemed a brother, and she felt whole and happy. It was in that moment she began to regret deeply her decision to leave them all those months ago.

"We all know you love surprises, Ron. So we decided to surprise you" Harry replied simply and somehow, Ron's grin got wider.

"Well, this is the greatest surprise ever!" He proclaimed, tightening his grip on Hermione.

"When is Lavender coming, Ron?" Ginny questioned as she turned back to the humming oven, opening it to check on whatever she had cooked up for their mini-feast.

"I told her to meet me here… around about now, actually" He replied, letting his arm fall from Hermione. As if right on cue, a musical tone resonated throughout the house and Ron left them to let his girlfriend in.

"Hey, Hermione" Harry smiled, his green eyes sparkling under his glasses. Hermione smiled back.

"Hey" She replied.

"How did it go with…" Harry spared a glance for his wife, before looking back at Hermione, unsure.

"I will tell you later" She replied as she caught site of Ron and Lavender, hand in hand, joining them. Harry nodded, and began to help his wife serve up the magnificent amount of food she had cooked up.

Hermione smiled at Lavender, who offered her an actual genuine smile back.

"Hermione! What brought you back?" She asked, her perfectly shaped eyebrows raised.

Hermione shrugged lazily, not wanting to go into the details. "I just missed everyone, I guess" She answered and Lavender seemed to accept that, though the look on Ron's face suggested that he knew something more was going on. Sometimes, he really could be quite perceptive.

He was about to open his mouth to say something, but then the smell of the dinner distracted him. Hermione too was overcome with the smell, and it was obvious that Ginny had inherited her mother's talents in the kitchen.

Ginny shuffled them all into the dining room as she levitated large, covered metal plates of food onto the table, and they all took their seats. Hermione felt content as they all fell into easy conversation straight away, missing the pure happiness she got when she was surrounded by those she loved.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hellooooo! Thanks for coming back to my story, and if you're joining me for the first time, I hope you're liking it! When I woke up this morning and looked at this chapter, I had realised that over the course of this week, I had only written 300 words. Whoops! So, I've spent most of today writing and rewriting, and got the next installment of my story out! Please excuse any errors, I didn't have my beta read over it because I forgot to send it to her, and I really wanted to get the chapter out to you guys. I've had a few reads over it, and I've fixed things that I've spotted, but if you guys see anything that seems weird, please point it out to me! Constructive feedback is the best kind. Anyway, here is Chapter 6! Please drop me a review, it means so much. It really brightens an authors day.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I just love writing fanfiction.**

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The dinner, and dessert, that Ginny had cooked left Hermione and her friends satisfyingly full. Ron sat back in his chair, his arm stretched over Lavender's shoulders, while she engaged Ginny in small talk. Hermione, in what could be called a 'food coma', was also leaning back on her chair, her eyes slowly falling shut. Harry leant over and tapped her shoulder, and she jolted. She looked at Harry questionably, an eyebrow raised, and he stood up, motioning for her to join him.

Harry lead them down the hallway, and began ascending the spiral staircase.

"Harry?" Hermione asked, following her dark-haired best friend.

"What happened when you went and saw Malfoy?" The be-speckled man spoke, turning to face Hermione. Hermione shifted her weight onto her right foot and sighed.

"Nothing, really. We talked. I told him that I didn't blame him and that I needed closure to move on. Then I left" She said, not fully meeting his gaze.

"You left? Nothing else happened? Hermione, I know when you're holding back details" Harry pressed, folding his arms. Hermione took a deep breath, staring at the ground as she spoke.

"We kissed." She said simply, looking up to meet the disapproving look that had etched onto her best friend's face.

"Hermione…" He started, leaning forward to grab a hold of her shoulder gently. Hermione batted his arm away and turned, not wanting to look at him.

"Don't 'Hermione…' me Harry. I know it shouldn't have happened. But it did. And I left straight away" Harry frowned at the brunette, before reaching out and pulling her close, holding her in a tight hug. Hermione wrapped her arms around the Potter heir, relaxing into his embrace. When she pulled back, she was smiling. "I've met someone else Harry. He's great, and I want you to meet him"

Harry grinned, happy for his friend. "Of course, I'll talk to Ginny and we can set up a time and date. Is he a muggle?"

Hermione shook her head and Harry raised an eyebrow. "He went to Durmstrang" She stated, and Harry nodded in understanding. The conversation over, Harry and Hermione re-joined the others in the dining room, just as Ginny was placing cups of tea and coffee on the table.

"Where did you two go?" Ron questioned, looking up as they sat down in their chairs.

"Just catching up" Harry offered as an answer and Ron twitched his head in something akin to a nod. He then smiled and leant forward.

"So, Hermione, what were you doing?" He asked, leaning forward on his elbows.

Hermione shrugged lightly as she warmed her hands with the cup of hot tea. "Well, I work at a muggle bookshop and I am living with my parents. I was thinking of getting my own place soon, actually. Apart from that, though… nothing" Hermione trailed off with a weak smile.

Ron suddenly looked at Harry with a wide smile. "Hey, isn't there a place open in the Mistreatment of Magical Creatures office of the Department?" He asked, before looking at Hermione. "If you're actually coming back, they would offer you the job for sure. It is because of you they officially opened it" Harry's eyes lit up at the suggestion and he nodded quickly.

"Yeah!" He agreed, looking at Hermione hopefully. The brunette looked between her two best friends, confusion written on her face.

"Sorry, what's the Mistreatment of Magical Creatures office?" She enquired, and Harry leant in to answer.

"Well, it started after you left. They were planning on setting it up and making you the Head of the office as a surprise, but y'know… you disappeared so obviously that never happened. The whole thing was Kingsley's idea, actually. He was inspired by your legislative proposals and active beliefs in the rights of magical creatures. The position that is available, if you got it, you'd become a prominent member of the Wizengamot, and you would be able to prosecute perpetrators and draft further laws. Normally, Wizengamot members are much older, but I'm sure they would make an exception for you. It's a part of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, as I'm sure you've guessed. If you are even considering coming back, Hermione, it would be perfect" Harry explained, and as he spoke, Hermione was in deep thought. It was basically her dream job, and she would definitely enjoy it. But was she ready? Could she deal with the inevitable publicity that would come with her return to the magical world?

"Hermione?" Ron pressed, and she looked up at the two men.

"I'll… I'll have to think about it" She said slowly, and the ginger smiled.

"So that's a maybe then?" He asked, and she nodded. Ginny, who had stayed silent for most of the conversation, suddenly straightened up.

"You could live with us for a while, if you needed to! We'd love to have you here, and you could floo in with Harry in the morning" She suggested, and Lavender let out a little squeal.

"And we could have girls' nights out once a week! I mean, don't get me wrong Gin, I love ours, but another girl would be so much fun!" She added.

"And Luna is getting married in a few weeks, I'm sure she would let us bring you along last minute!" Ron spoke excitedly, and Hermione suddenly felt quite overwhelmed. She sat back in her chair and took a deep breath. Harry frowned and decided to interject.

"Guys, it's not actually decided yet. Hermione might decide that she likes her new life too much, and doesn't want to deal with the drama of coming back" He said, his voice of reason calming the other three down a bit. Hermione smiled gratefully at Harry, who smiled back. Ron dropped his shoulders, dejected, while Ginny frowned. Lavender seemed to shrug off Harry's words as she examined her nails and idly fixed her hair. A glance at his watch caused Ron to jump in his chair.

"Blimey!" He announced loudly, "It's late! Lav, we should go. Work tomorrow. Gin, Harry, thanks for having us over, the food was great. Hermione, it was amazing seeing you again, please don't be a stranger. Owl me once in a while. I hated not having you around" The burly ginger stood, and pulled his girlfriend up. With a wave, he and Lavender were trotting out of the room and that left Hermione, Ginny and Harry alone. The latter was stretching in his chair, trying to mask a yawn, and Ginny smiled.

"I didn't realise how late it had gotten" She remarked, and Hermione nodded. "You can stay the night here, if you'd like. We have a spare room set up"

"I think I should go home, Gin, but thanks for asking. I'm opening the shop tomorrow and I think we're getting a new shipment in and they happen quite early in the morning" Hermione replied as she stood up. She offered the couple a smile. "Thank you so much for having me tonight"

"It was our pleasure. And please, don't be a stranger" The fiery red-head commented, echoing her brother's words.

"We'll see you soon, I hope" Harry added, more of a statement, rather than a question. Hermione smiled as a way of promising that they would see her soon, before she left their Manor.

* * *

While Hermione thoroughly enjoyed seeing her beloved friends the night before, the long night had drained her of her much-needed energy. As such, when she woke up the next morning, she was having twice as much trouble dragging herself out of bed. She snuggled deeper into her blanket, pressing a pillow over her head, ignoring the alarm clock that was singing out to her to wake up. Eventually, the thought of seeing Jake helped her throw the covers back, silence the clock and crawl off the bed and onto the floor, where she proceeded to sit, asleep, for another ten minutes. When her eyes opened again, she heaved herself to her feet and began to get ready for her shift.

She was dressed and fed within half an hour, still with another half hour to spare. Her bedroom was clean, and the lack of noise from the rest of the house signaled the fact that her parents had already left. Over the course of the night, she had tossed and turned, constantly falling in and out of consciousness, as she weighed up the positives and negatives of returning to the Wizarding world. She had resolved to promise herself that her decision would be made by the end of the week; but for now, she decided baby steps that eased her back into the hustle and bustle of the secret magic community wouldn't be so bad.

Resurrecting her favourite quill, a bottle of ink and an old copy of the _Daily Prophet_ from the bottom of her desk drawers, she began to fill out a form that would give her a subscription to the daily owl deliveries of the paper. She figured that knowing what was going on in the world will help her in processing a decision to go back. She would ask if Jake could owl it for her, considering she did not have an owl of her own.

Hermione sat idly as time passed, and eventually it was close enough to the opening hours of the bookshop that she figured she should leave. Opting to drive rather than apparate, Hermione slid behind the wheel of her little red car, turning the key as the engine hummed to life. Immediately soothed by the dulcet sounds that was emitting from the quiet radio, she pulled out of the driveway and began her journey.

When she had arrived, she spotted the truck that delivered the new shipment of books once a week. She hopped out of her car and made her way over to unlock the back door for the driver as he wheeled in half a dozen boxes.

"Mornin'" He nodded in a gruff tone.

"Morning" She offered back as a greeting. Leaving him to pile the boxes up out the back, Hermione began to open the shop.

The morning past quickly, with a dozen or more customers, and Hermione's boss, Adaline, walked in just on midday.

"Hello Hermione, how are you?" The woman smiled as she took Hermione's place behind the counter. Moving out of her way to sort some books, Hermione shrugged.

"Tired, but good" She replied, and she was met with a smirk.

"Have a good weekend with Jake, did we?" She said cheekily, and Hermione flushed.

"No… well yes, our date was great, but I spent most of it catching up with some old friends that I hadn't seen in a while"

"Ah, sounds like fun" The older woman replied, and Hermione nodded.

"Yep" She said simply, organising books into alphabetical order. As he stomach began to growl, Adaline told Hermione to take a break, and grab something to eat. Hermione obliged, and left the shop, making her way to her favourite little café. Ordering a coffee and a sandwich, Hermione sat by the window, lazily picking at her food, eating it in tiny bites. As she took a sip of her coffee, she noticed someone very familiar walk by the window. Frowning, Hermione glanced at her watch. It wasn't three yet, so he couldn't possibly be on his way to the bookstore. Shooting out of her chair, Hermione ran out of the shop in pursuit.

"Jake!" She called out, waving her arm. The man stopped in his stride, and turned around, looking at Hermione quizzically. She quickly reached him, standing in front of him with a smile.

"Hi!" She said breathlessly, and the man quirked his head to the side.

"Hi…?" He said slowly, looking around uncomfortably.

"Where are you going?" She asked. "If you're free now, you could maybe come and have lunch with me" Hermione smiled, offering him her hand.

"I'm sorry… do I know you?" The brunette man questioned, and Hermione took a step back, confused.

"Uh… Jake? It's me, Hermione" She stated, staring at him.

"Sorry, Hermione?, but I don't know who you are. And my name isn't Jake, its Dean. You must have me confused with someone else. I, uh… Have to go" The man, Dean, spun on his heel and walked away quickly, not looking back. Hermione looked close to tears as she took another few steps back, turning around slowly and walking back to the café. Her mind was reeling; that was definitely Jake, wasn't it? Frowning deeply, Hermione resolved that it must have just been someone who looked very much like him. Not feeling very hungry any more, and unsure of what she would say to Jake when she did see him, she left half a coffee and a barely eaten sandwich on the table as she made her way back to the shop.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7! Woo! I would just like to say a massive thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story so far, and the biggest thanks to Lily Flower Forever, who has reviewed every single chapter. This chapter is a little shorter than usual, but I promise the next chapter will more than make up for that. As always, next chapter will be up sameish time next week, and I hope this satisfies all the readers until then!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own the marvelous Harry Potter.**

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Hermione couldn't stop staring at the clock. The minutes seemed to tick by at a slower rate than usual, and Adaline kept telling her that 'If she wanted to go home, she should just tell her', to which Hermione would roll her eyes and go 'I'm waiting for Jake'. This exchange continued over the next couple of hours, until 3 o'clock. When ten minutes had passed without any appearance from Jake, Hermione began to worry. He was never late. First, he didn't recognise her on the street, and now he was late? Pacing back and forth, Hermione was continually looking over at the door. Finally, he swaggered in, an easy grin spread across his face. Hermione let go of a breath she didn't realise that she had been holding, and offered him a small wave.

He strode over to her, leaning down to kiss her cheek.

"Hey there, pretty lady" He murmured into her ear. Hermione gave him a small smile before turning away to stack some books.

"Hey" She replied simply. Jake quirked an eyebrow, leaning against the shelf.

"What's up?" He questioned, and she shrugged.

"Not much" Hermione continued to sort the books in alphabetical order by last name of the author, as a look of worry passed over Jake's face. He walked over to her and touched her shoulder, his other hand forcing her face up to meet his.

"Hermione, what's wrong? What happened?" He asked of her, his eyes searching hers. Hermione sighed deeply and shied away from his touch, trying to avoid his gaze. Jake's hand fell limply to the side as he looked at her hopelessly.

"I saw someone I knew. Very well. And they had no clue who I was." She whispered, finally looking at him, almost accusingly.

Bewildered at her glare, Jake fidgeted nervously. "Who… was it?" He asked timidly, though he was sure he knew already.

"You." Hermione stated, and Jake's worst fears were confirmed. Running his hand through his hair and tousling it, he tried to shrug off what she had said.

"Science has stated that each person has at least seven look a likes in the world, I guess you just met one of mine" He offered as an answer, and Hermione folded her arms.

"I could have sworn it was you, though" She pressed, and Jake sighed.

"Love, I wasn't even in Muggle London today. I only came in to see you. I'm telling you, it was probably someone who just looked like me" Jake assured Hermione, pulling her closer to him. Accepting his answer, yet still on edge, Hermione succumbed to his embrace and let herself return his affections. After a minute, she pulled back, her arms around his waist, and looked at him quizzically.

"Muggle London? Does that mean you were in Diagon Alley?" She asked interestedly. He smiled and nodded, letting go of her to extract something from the pocket of his jeans.

"I bought you a gift" He said, a velvety red box sitting nestled in his palm. Hermione looked from the box, to him, and shook her head.

"You shouldn't have" She whispered, though her fingers itched to take the box and discover its contents.

"Hold your arm out" He instructed. "And close your eyes"

Hermione did as she was told, and soon felt something cold slide onto her arm. Opening her eyes, her eyes flew immediately to a simple gold bracelet, adorned with small rubies, which encased her wrist. Her mouth falling open, her eyes devoured the precious ornament, and she immediately reached up around Jake's neck and pulled him close, pressing her lips to his in a chased kiss. Kissing all over his face, all her previous doubts melted away, she laughed heartily and Jake smiled at her antics.

"I love it, so much" She crooned into his ear. He pulled her close, his hands resting on the small of her back.

"My gift for a true Gryffindor Princess" He whispered, barely audible. Hermione stiffened in his embrace as a memory of a starry night on top of a hill sparked in her mind.

 _Draco lay on his back, his arms stretched out, while Hermione played with his fingers as she rested on her stomach. The stars glistened above the silent couple, while the unusually large moon bathed them in light and danced on their bare skin. It was late summer, and the evenings were still warm. Draco lifted up an arm to draw Hermione closer to him and she purred softly, content in his embrace. His fingers, trailing up and down her forearm, arose goose bumps. Hermione rolled in his arms, and their noses were almost touching._

" _Hi" He whispered._

" _Hey" She replied, just as quietly. He moved his head to kiss her nose._

" _I want to propose something" He stated, and Hermione made a soft 'hmm?', closing her eyes and moving deeper into his embrace._

 _Draco reached up to brush her hair back with one hand, a soft smile playing on his lips._

" _I want the world to know that you are mine, Hermione. That I have you, and no one else can. I want everyone to know about us. About the love that we share" Draco murmured, and Hermione opened her eyes, looking at him in surprise._

" _You do?" She questioned softly. "Draco… that could..."Hermione didn't know where her sentence was going, but Draco understood._

" _It's a risk I'm willing to take. Hermione, I love you. I want everyone to know. I don't care what they think, all I care about is that I have you" Draco sat up and Hermione rolled onto her back staring up at the stars._

" _If you're ready, then I'm ready" She replied simply. Draco flashed her a brilliant smile, reaching into his back pocket and pulling out a satin pouch._

" _Then I want you to have this" He said, and Hermione reached out and took it. Tugging on the string gently, she up-ended the pouch and in her hand landed a small gold ring with a simple ruby, hanging from a gold chain. Sitting up in a flash, Hermione stared at Draco._

" _Are you proposing to me?" She asked dumbly, and Draco chuckled._

" _Goodness, no. Not yet, anyway. I would like people to get used to the idea of us before we pull a stunt that big. No, Hermione, this is a promise ring. A ring that you can wear around your neck that eventually you will wear on your finger. It symbolises one simple promise that I will make to you here and now: I promise that I will love and cherish you for all eternity. I swear to you that the day I get down on one knee will be the second most magical night of our lives. The first being our eventual wedding. Hermione, we have managed to put our past behind us and become something that I will treasure until the day I draw my last breath. I love you, so much, Hermione. And this ring symbolises that. And soon, the rest of the world will know how I feel about you" Hermione stayed silent during his speech, and when he was done, tears shone in her eyes. Choosing not to respond, Hermione placed the necklace delicately on the ground and let in to kiss Draco gently, her hands tangling themselves in his hair. He kissed her back with much enthusiasm, pulling her onto his lap. They stayed in that embrace for what seemed like hours, yet was only seconds._

" _Put it on me?" Hermione asked of him, and he nodded. His long fingers grasped the necklace, and as Hermione shifted in his lap, he brushed her hair to the side. Once the necklace was on, he let in and kissed the nape of her neck._

" _My gift for a true Gryffindor Princess" He murmured, and Hermione lent back into him, preserving a moment that she would remember for all eternity._

As she came back to the present, Jack worriedly shook Hermione's shoulder gently.

"Hermione?" He asked, and she slowly looked up at him. "What happened?"

"Draco said the exact same thing to me" She whispered, and Jake tilted his head in confusion.

"He did?" He questioned softly and Hermione nodded mutely. Taking a deep breath, he drew Hermione into his arms, running his hand up and down her back.

* * *

24 hours later, Jake found himself sitting across from a stern looking Harry Potter and a stony-faced Ron Weasley.

"Now, Jake. We have heard a lot about you from Hermione. She sings nothing but glowing praise. Our Hermione has been hurt before and we will not let her be hurt again. So if we so much as catch wind of-" Harry started, before Ron cut in.

"I'll take it from here, mate" He had interjected. He lent in on his arms, and Jake looked away nervously. Though he had encountered these kinds of conversations before, they always made him sweat. Ron narrowed his eyes at the brunette boy. "If we so much as catch wind of Hermione being hurt in any way, shape or form, be rest assured that we will find you. And you will not like what we do when we find you. And Ginny, well she is the master of bat-bogey hexes. So you do not want to be on the receiving end of her wand. Understand?" Jake gulped and nodded.

"I understand" He assured the men that were most protective of Hermione.

"Good" They said together. Immediately, a grin passed over Ron's face and Harry relaxed in his chair.

"So, now that that's over, you into Quidditch, mate?" Ron asked, and Jake grinned, nodding, as the three men launched into a debate about the possible winner of the Quidditch World Cup.

* * *

Meanwhile, Hermione had asked Ginny to take her to the Potter's vault at Gringotts. While she was still perplexed as to why, Ginny had eventually given up asking Hermione what she needed.

As they reached the vault, and were granted access with the help of a rather friendly goblin, Hermione quickly made her way to a small wooden box sitting on a pedestal to the back of room.

"What's in that?" Ginny asked, joining her friend curiously.

"I asked Harry to keep this safe for me before I left" Hermione answered. She held her breath as she opened the box, and Ginny lent in for a better look. Nestled in a bed of satin, artfully placed, lay the necklace that Draco had given her. Glinting under the light of the vault, was the ring.


	8. Chapter 8

**Wow! Okay, Chapter 8! This chapter is written from Draco's point of view and doesn't feature Hermione, but it does add some massive twists to the story line. I am planning on writing 18 or so chapters, so this story has now hit its climax with this chapter and the next. Lots of feels to come (sorry!) Thanks so much for reading my story, guys! Much love. Chapter 9 is underway and will be up next week! Yay!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Draco enjoyed having a housekeeper, but on the days she wasn't there helping him, he found himself enjoying the solace of a quiet house. While the years since the breakup with Hermione had not been kind to him, Draco had grown accustomed to his somewhat lonely lifestyle; but things got hard. When he had heard that Hermione had gone missing, and no one had seen her, he put his heart and soul into finding the young witch and making sure she was okay. Too cowardly to face her as himself, though, he conned his way into a job at a muggle beauty salon, where he shaved someone's head ("by accident" as he had claimed) then promptly disappeared with a bag full of hair. He spends his evenings brewing polyjuice potion as himself, and his days with Hermione as a man named Jake. Though he may have slipped up occasionally, his plan had been successful and it made his heart soar to see Hermione happy.

Late at night, however, the guilt of lying to Hermione would creep into his mind and he would almost convince himself to tell her the whole truth. But then his own selfishness towards having Hermione would quell the guilty feelings, and the lie would grow even more than it already had.

Sipping on a glass of fire-whiskey, Draco, currently disguised as "Jake", sprawled out casually on the couch in "Jake's" apartment. While he does enjoy the housekeeper's company some days, on the others, his alter ego's life suited him much better.

It been two weeks since he had met Potter and Weasley "for the first time". He could honestly say that it went much better than the time he was introduced to them as Hermione's boyfriend when they had first started dating. They hated the idea that their best friend was dating their childhood nemesis, and they had no qualms in making that point clear, especially Weasley.

But they seemed to love "Jake", and today, he and Harry were going to go to a Quidditch Match. He figured that if he had Hermione's best friends on his side, maybe when the truth came out it wouldn't be so bad.

A knock on the door jolted Draco out of his thoughts. He stood up quickly, making his way over to the door and opening it.

"Hey man" Harry said casually, dressed in a Puddlemere United jersey and a pair of jeans. Draco nodded as way of reply, moving aside to let Harry in.

"Hey, come in. Make yourself comfortable. Would you like something to drink?" Draco asked as he shut the door and faced Harry.

"Yeah sure. Have you got fire whiskey?" Harry asked, and Draco obliged, leaving Harry alone in the living room. Harry decided explored the room, flipping through some books and looking at pictures, when he caught sight of a locked box hidden in the corner. Furrowing his eyebrows curiously, he knelt down in front of the box. Looking over at the kitchen door that Jake had disappeared through, Harry quickly whipped out his wand.

"Alohomora" He murmured, and the lock fell open with a soft click. Slightly nervous, Harry opened the box. Inside sat many little glass phials, and Harry picked one up. With a start, he recognised what was inside immediately.

Suddenly shaking, Harry placed it back and locked the box up quickly, standing up just as Draco walked in with two glasses.

He smiled uneasily at the man, accepting a glass, and sat down. Harry kept a firm grip on his wand as Draco leaned back into the armchair he had sat in.

"Alright, the game starts in an hour, and I managed to get us some pretty decent seats and-" Draco started, but Harry sat up, interjecting by almost slamming his glass down on the table. Draco jumped in his seat, and looked at Harry with alarm.

"How did you afford that, huh? Puddlemere are one of the best in the league, tickets to their games are pretty high demand right now. I know for a fact they cost a lot. Pretty strange, a young guy with lots of money. You must come from a pretty well off family. Maybe, even one of the wealthiest" Harry had stood up at this point as he interrogated Draco and "Jake" was beginning to twitch in his seat.

"Durmstrang, you said you came from?" Harry asked, folding his arms as he glared at Draco. Draco nodded timidly.

"Funny, I remember a Malfoy once saying he was going to go to Durmstrang. And uh, Jake. That rhymes with Drake. That particular Malfoy's name was Draco, and I'm pretty sure a couple of his closest friends may have called him Drake. Now, I'm giving you, Jake, or Draco, the chance to explain, or so help me all of Merlin's wrath, and Hermione's, once I tell her, will rain down upon you" Harry stared at Draco expectantly. With a sigh, Draco stood up.

"I should have known eventually this would all bite me in the ass" Draco said, as he picked up his wand. With a flick, he was himself again. At that, Harry's wand was pushed against Draco's chest and he was backing the blonde into a wall.

"Malfoy, explain. Now." Harry stated, and Draco nodded.

"Look, mate, I meant no harm to anyone. I swear. I was just… I was too weak. I needed Hermione. She gave me something worth living for after the war. She is the love of my life. It nearly killed me to live through what happened to her. I needed to see her and I knew she wouldn't see _me,_ so I had to come up with something else" Draco pleaded. Harry lowered his wand slightly. "Hermione gave me everything and my father took that away from me… I tried to stay away and give her space once I was free, I swear, but I just couldn't. She is the only one that keeps me sane" Draco edged away from Harry. "Potter…. Harry. Please. I can make this right, I know I can. I swear I will tell her. I just need a few more days."

Running his hand through his messy hair, Harry nodded, but gave Draco a look that meant war.

"Two days. If Hermione doesn't know in two days, then I will tell her myself. I actually like you, so help me, and I know Hermione still loves you, and though I feel crazy for admitting it, I'd like to think that this will all work out. So you have two days, Malfoy." Harry turned and walked straight out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him. Draco stared at the empty space as he tried to come to terms with the fact that an "accidental" head shave and a potion has turned his life upside down.

* * *

A mother's wise words can be very beneficial to a person. Which is why, the next day, Draco has found himself in one of the many sitting rooms in Malfoy Manor, sipping tea with his crying mother.

"Oh, Draco, I'm so glad you came to see me. I was so worried, after the story in the _Daily Prophet,_ then you suddenly fell off the face of the earth… and to think, all this time, you've been in London with Hermione" She was sobbing as she held up her cup and saucer, the china rattling together due to her shaking hands.

"I've missed you, Mother" He replied with a sombre smile. "But Hermione doesn't know it's me, I told you that"

"I know" She sighed, before setting her tea down. "About that, honey… you need to tell her. Hermione deserves to know. I don't think she will be happy that you are using the same method of disguise as your father used when he hurt her. Besides, Harry Potter had it rendered illegal after what happened. They could very well throw you in Azkaban if Hermione is angry and decides she doesn't want to see you once you tell her." Narcissa mused seriously. Draco's face paled at that observation.

"I hadn't thought of that" He whispered. "I've made a terrible mistake, mother" Putting his own tea down, he stood up.

"Draco, I'm sure it will be fine. Hermione will still be in love with you. A love like the two of you shared many years ago cannot be broken or replicated. You will do the right thing, I know you will". Draco hastily kissed his mother on the cheek and raced out of the Manor. He had to see Harry Potter.

* * *

Apparating back to his own house, Draco hurdled towards the fire place. Ripping open the packet of floo powder he had stored for emergencies, he threw it into the fire, watching as the emerald-green flames roared to life. Holding his breath, he stepped into the fireplace.

"Harry Potter's office, Ministry of Magic!" He yelled, tucking his elbows in as he spun in circles. He slid easily out at the right fireplace, coughing from the ash. Towering over him stood an alarmed Harry Potter, wand raised.

"Malfoy?" He asked, lowering his wand. Draco jumped to his feet, whipping out his own wand.

"You forgot to mention that Polyjuice Potion is illegal now, Potter!" Draco thundered. "If I tell her, and she hates me again, I get sent to Azkaban!" He added, fuming. Harry raised his wand in defense.

"Would that be such a bad thing, Malfoy?" Harry demanded. "Hermione won't have to torment herself over you anymore, she can actually be free to move on! She can't let herself move on, because even if she knows it or not, she is still tethered to you!"

Was it true? Was being selfish, keeping Hermione to himself, preventing her from moving on and finding peace? Would it better if Hermione fell in love with someone else that wouldn't hurt her as much as Draco had, and will, when she finds out? Draco fell silent and Harry gripped his shoulder gently.

"Look mate, yes, you love Hermione, and she loves you. But if the cost of being with her, means that you aren't you, is it really worth it? If you leave now, I swear to you that no charges will be laid against you. Hermione will be happy. You can both move on. Save her the pain" Harry smiled sympathetically at Draco, who started to nod slowly.

"Okay. If it's… if it's the best thing for her. If you're sure that this will help her, than yes. I can do that" Draco murmured. Harry let him go and nodded.

"If you really love her, you'll let her be happy. This way, she will be happy. I swear to it" Harry promised, and with a heavy sigh, Draco once again stepped into the fireplace dejectedly.

Once back at his own house, Draco dismissed Naomi, wishing to be alone. He could go to overseas, his family had strong connections in the American Ministry of Magic. He would fit in there, no problems. He could make America his new home. The only problem with that though… without Hermione there is no home. Hermione was his home. Wherever she was, is wherever he belongs. But if he told Hermione the truth, he would only hurt her; he couldn't bear hurting her anymore. His own selfishness had prevented him from seeing the whole picture. Hermione needed to be happy; and she will be. Without him.

Reaching a decision, Draco picked up a quill.

 _Hermione,_

 _There are so many words I wish I could say to you right now. But I can't. So all I am going to say is… I'm sorry. For everything. Hurting you was never my intention, and it has recently become clear to me that if I stay with you, I will only hurt you. When I refused to tell you anything about myself, it wasn't because I didn't want you knowing. It was because you already knew. Hermione, you knew all along. You just didn't realise it. I can imagine you're bright little head ticking over right now as you try to think of what you knew. Why is this letter so cryptic? You will ask yourself. You might even show Ginny, or Harry, and have them help you. Harry knows all the answers. So, my dear little bookworm, if you can't figure it out for yourself, even after my clues, ask Harry. I only ask of you one thing: When you do find out the meaning of this letter, go out and live your life. Don't become the shell of the thing you were after we parted and before we met again. I want you to be happy. I want you to love again. Just not me._

 _Eternal regards,_

 _Jake._

With a heavy heart, Draco stood and called for his mother's house elf. The tiny creature appeared in front of him with a pop.

"Master Draco calls for Twiddles?" It squeaked, wringing its long hands.

"Yes. Twiddles, I need you to make sure this gets to Hermione Granger. No one else is to see this letter. Deliver it in person, if you have to. But if you do, say it is from Jake" Draco commanded, handing the letter to the elf. It bowed low, the tip of its long nose touching the floor.

"It is an honour to serve Master Draco" The elf squeaked again, before it disappeared. Draco's shoulders slumped and he almost caved in on himself. He would never see Hermione Granger again.


	9. Chapter 9

**Guys I'm so sorry for not uploading last week! I've literally had the week from hell and have barely had time to sit down and write. But that's over now. And we're back on track. I really, really hope you guys like this chapter, I've been non stop working on it for the last two days straight. As always, reviews and constructive feedback are always welcome. It's so amazing to see that people actually take the time to tell me what they think.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Hermione was confused. Today was the first time in months Jake had not come into the bookshop while she was working. Today was the first time in months she had not been graced with his dazzling smile or his cheeky quips. Today was the first time in months that she felt empty.

She made her way home slowly, immersed in her own thoughts. A deep feeling of dread and worry had pooled in her stomach, almost anchoring her to the ground and she didn't know why. She fumbled as she grabbed at her keys, having left her wand inside all day. As she flicked on the light beside the door frame, her eyes immediately connected with a small figure standing timidly by her couch. As soon as the elf registered that Hermione had seen her, she scurried over and bent low, taking Hermione's hands.

"Hermione Granger!" The house elf squeaked, shaking her hand rapidly. Hermione sunk to her knees so she was eye level with the tiny creature, smiling softly at it.

"Hello. How are you?" Hermione asked kindly. The house elf broke out into a magnificent grin, bowing once more.

"Twiddles is very well, Miss Hermione!" She said excitedly, before pulling an envelope from the pocket of her dotted pink dress. Hermione smiled, the dress obviously meant that Twiddles was well looked after by her family. Hermione refused to say master- no one should have that kind of control over a small, innocent creature. If they did not want to, house elves should need not refer to their family as Masters and Mistresses, they were not slaves. "My Master asked Twiddles to deliver this letter to Miss Hermione, and to her only. Master Jake stresses that this is for your eyes only, Miss Hermione" Hermione stood up abruptly.

"Jake? Jake is your Master?" She asked, shocked.

The elf shook her head. "No, miss. Twiddles serves Master Jake's mother" Twiddles pushed the envelope into Hermione's hands, closing her hands around it, before disappearing with a sudden crack.

Confused, Hermione turned the envelope over in her hand, sticking her finger under the opening as it came unstuck. Sitting down on the floor, legs crossed, the same feeling of dread she had felt earlier washed over her once more. Extracting the letter from the envelope, Hermione began to read.

She read the letter six times exactly; and each time she did, her heart never failed to clench tightly as tears pooled in her eyes.

She didn't know how long she sat on the floor after she finished reading the letter six times. Then she read it once more… and something snapped. She knew. _Of course_ she knew. How could she not? He had those eyes. When Hermione had first met Jake she knew there was something familiar about those eyes, and she had just shrugged it off. Grey eyes weren't uncommon. He had done that on purpose of course. A clue. Eyes so close to his own, yet somehow different.

He had left other clues, Hermione realised with a start. Whether on purpose or not, she did not know. But they were clues. The _Wuthering Heights_ book. The "accidental" slip-ups. The whole " _You already know everything about me!"_

He was always fantastic at Transfiguration, second to none but herself, so _of course_ he would be able to change his appearance…. But that would have taken a lot of magic. It would have seriously worn him out; but she had spent hours with him at a time! His magic never once faltered. So how…

Polyjuice Potion.

* * *

 _Hermione and Jake sat in a small coffee shop in a back alley street of London. Trying mercilessly to distract Hermione- 'could you go get me a napkin?' 'there's one right there, Jake...'- Jake fidgeted in his chair, he could feel the Polyjuice Potion dwindling away into nothing inside him, and already he felt his legs grow slightly longer underneath the table. As soon as the waitress set their tea down on the table, Jake pointed at nothing outside the window._

" _Is that a drimbledrumblefloppysaur?" He asked, and Hermione turned to look, an interested expression on her face. Acting quickly, Jake unscrewed a flask that was sitting in his lap and poured the contents into his tea, pulling it away as Hermione turned back._

" _What was that?" She asked._

" _Just some sugar" He replied, and Hermione nodded – 'Good idea'- reaching to get her own sugar. As soon as he took a long draw from the hot liquid, his insides began to settle and he sat back in his chair, hands resting around the cup._

* * *

It was as if everything was crashing down around her.

The answer was so simple.

He had used Polyjuice Potion.

The very substance that had ruined her life; that had destroyed and pulled her apart beyond repair. And he was using it to deceive her.

Hermione threw the letter down onto the ground with a frustrated scream as she grabbed for her wand. Within minutes, the couch was upturned, the glass coffee table was shattered, books lay everywhere. The magic radiating from Hermione ran through every vein, every muscle, and every bone in her body. It stretched up into her hair as it curled around her face. One flick of her wrist and she could bring down her whole apartment; her whole street.

At her feet; the letter. Teasing and taunting her. Flexing her fingers, she brought her wand up above her head, and with a flash and an outburst of brilliant orange light, the flimsy piece of parchment disintegrated into nothing, leaving nothing but a small pile of ash that would definitely stain her carpet.

One word; one name registered in her mind. Harry.

* * *

It had been a quiet day in the office for Harry Potter. The capturing of Death Eaters had come to a lull, with no new leads, and the Wizarding World finally seemed at peace. He was able to come home and put his feet up while Ginny poured him a glass of fire whiskey. In his lap sat today's _Daily Prophet_ , and he was ready to unwind and relax for the evening. It was a great day.

Until a very angry and abnormally bushy-haired Hermione Granger landed in front of him with her wand pointed straight at his nose.

"Harry James Potter" She started to speak, her voice quiet and deadly. His eyes going cross-eyed as he stared at her wand, he tried to manoeuvre himself to look at her.

"You tell what in the name of Merlin is going on with Jake and why he has just left me a letter saying he won't bother me ever again, or so help me I will hex you into the next millennium" She spoke strongly, glaring at him. "And don't tell me you don't know because he _said_ you did"

Harry's physique softened and he gently pushed Hermione's wand out of the way.

"Hermione, I'm so sorry. It was because of me that he has done this but I had good reason. He was still hurting you, even after all these years. And the truth was going to come out inevitably and it would just hurt you more. I couldn't stand to see you hurting after the incident, and I didn't want you to relapse back into that. You deserve to be happy" Harry spoke softly, taking her hands. "You are my best friend, Hermione. I only want what is best for you… and it isn't Draco, or Jake, or whoever he is"

"Harry…" Hermione started, but she was interrupted by a breathless Ron Weasley, barging into the room.

"Ron?" Harry asked. "What's wrong?" Panting, Ron crunched in on himself, taking deep breaths.

"Ministry. Draco Malfoy. Polyjuice Potion. Hermione. Immediate trial. Come now!" He spoke between breaths, before rushing over the fireplace and chucking floo powder into the flames. With a look back at a bewildered Harry and a distraught Hermione, he stepped in.

"Harry… what is going on?" Hermione asked slowly. Harry grabbed her hand, shaking his head.

"No time to explain, come on" Together, they stepped through the flames, arriving in the marble foyer of the grand Ministry of Magic.

People with tall hats and deep burgundy robes were running to and from fireplaces all around them. The halls were buzzing with chatter, but Harry, Ron and Hermione did not stop to talk. They descended deep into the Ministry, finally reaching the chambers that the trials take place in.

"Potter! Weasley!" A deep voice called, and soon enough they were joined by Kingsley Shacklebolt. The two men nodded at the Minister. "Hermione?" He questioned. Hermione smiled at him by way of reply, though her mind was far more concerned at what was behind the big wooden door they were standing in front of.

Kingsley turned back to Harry and Ron, fastening the clasp on his robe. "We received a tip this morning claiming that Draco Malfoy was illegally administering Polyjuice Potion on himself to deceive Miss Granger into believing he was someone else. It was later confirmed through interrogation of his mother. Given the evidence, and your new laws, he has been put on immediate trial. As this is the first time this has happened, I would like you to be present for guidance" He said, to which Harry nodded. Hermione turned to Harry, her mouth opening to say something, but Kingsley continued on. "Miss Granger, do you consent to presenting a testimony against the accused? We would only need a few words on your experience, as Mr Malfoy has actually pleaded guilty"

Without realising it, Hermione found herself nodding mutely. Kingsley clapped his hands together, before turning to open the doors to the court, making his way in as Ron followed him. Hermione grabbed Harry's arm tightly, stopping him from walking in.

"What did he mean, your new laws?" Hermione hissed into his ear. Harry winched at her vice-tight grip.

"After you had left I ordered for Polyjuice Potion to be made illegal under the pretences that it could be used by Death Eaters to disguise themselves. I really did it so that Lucius Malfoy could be brought to justice, as he didn't do anything to warrant him imprisonment. He needed to pay, and that was the only thing I could think of" Harry replied.

"But now Draco is in serious trouble!" She whispered heatedly. "He doesn't deserve Azkaban for this, Harry. I love him unconditionally and I know I always will. You want me to be happy? Let Draco walk free. That will make me happy. I know you don't want me to hurt, Harry. But we need to remember that it was Lucius that hurt me, not Draco. When everything happened, I was broken. But not because of Lucius, it was because I thought I'd lost the love of my life. Draco made me so happy. He knew me. Every little thing. He stuck by me through all of my craziness over the protection of the rights of magical creatures, supported me even, though he had grown up believing they were beneath him. We, together, put our pasts behind us because we knew we had something that was real and raw. Then Lucius happened and I suddenly knew that all of that was fake, because of our past. It was so easy to believe, because it was so hard to think that I had found happiness with Draco Malfoy. The feelings I felt when I saw that news article were unmatched to anything I had felt before. It was all too overwhelming. He still loved me, of course he did. Then along came Jake. He was… too perfect. I should have known. Jake helped me find that happiness again, because he was Draco. He doesn't deserve to be imprisoned for saving me. If he had returned to me as Draco, I wouldn't have taken him, because I'm too much of a coward, I would still be convinced that something would happen again. But returning to me as Jake has taught me that the love that bloomed between us _was_ real and _was_ raw, because it was him all along. It didn't feel weird. I know that if it was anyone else, it would have been weird. It would have felt forced. It's not forced with Draco, it never was. It never will be. If Draco goes to Azkaban today, Harry… that will hurt me more than Lucius, more than Polyjuice Potion, more than everything that has happened combined. I don't care that he pleaded guilty, he will be coming through these doors as a free man. Please, Harry. For me" Hermione's eyes glistened with tears, as Harry nodded.

"Of course" He replied softly, though he frowned deeply.

"Mr Potter, Miss Granger. You are needed now, the trial is starting" A grey haired woman said as she stood at the doorway. Hermione nodded, straight faced, and walked in as Harry trailed in after her, the doors closing. The room fell silent as people settled in their seats.

"Bring in the accused" Shacklebolt announced. All heads turned as the doors opened once more and Draco Malfoy was brought into the room. His eyes, however, were only focused on one person.

* * *

 **I solemnly swear to have the next chapter up on time next week. I might even give you guys a double update, because I'm not sure how much time I will have to write over Christmas/ New Years. I'll let you know. Thanks again for reading!**


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm soooooo sorry guys, I haven't had internet for the past few days, and I've had major writers block, so this is all I've managed to come up with. I know it's so much shorter than the rest :( But! The next chapter will be up tomorrow, I swear, and it's shaping up to be a good one. Again, i'm so sorry for the lateness and shortness of the chapter.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

* * *

Draco's accusing gaze bores straight into the eyes of Harry Potter, who was sitting next to the judge, an old man who wore a frown on his face, at the bench. Of course Potter was the one to turn him in.

Harry met Draco's gaze straight on, and slowly he shook his head. Draco's eyes flicked to Hermione, jerking his hand towards her slightly, before looking back at Harry. Again, Harry shook his head. Slumping back in his chair, Draco glanced around the room. Who could have turned him in?

Slowly, his head turned to his stony-faced mother. He thought she had changed… She loved Hermione, didn't she? Narcissa avoided her sons gaze, knowing that her heart would break with her betrayal and guilt if she did look at him.

A hammer slamming against wood jolted Draco, and he looked back at the podium Harry was sitting at.

"This court is now in session. As it stands, Mr Malfoy has pleaded guilty to his illegal use of Polyjuice Potion, but the court has requested a statement from Miss Hermione Granger and its impact on her to aid in determining the punishment. Could she please make her way to the Bench?" The judge drawled, his wand amplifying his voice with his wand. Draco watched on as Hermione stood and made her way over to the Witness Chair. Harry stood and followed her to it, whispering something in her ear. Hermione gave him a small, grateful smile. He stood straight.

"Hermione, it has been assumed you were unaware that the accused was under the influence of Polyjuice Potion. Is this correct?" Harry asked.

"That is correct"

"And who did the accused tell you who he was?"

"A man named Jake" Hermione's eyes flickered over to Draco, then back to Harry.

"And what was your relationship with _'Jake'_?" Harry lifted his hands to form quotation marks, grimacing as he did so.

Hermione took a deep breath before she answered. "We were involved, but our relationship did not have a label"

"And why is that?" Harry asked, though already knowing what her answer would be. Hermione turned her head to stare dead straight at Draco.

"I had told him of the incident with Lucius Malfoy, and he understood that I wanted to take things slow, rather than diving head first into a relationship" She answered, and Harry nodded.

"Did you ever have any inclination that Jake was not telling you something during your time together?"

Hermione had to think about that. There had been times she knew something was amiss, but she had never thought he was lying to her.

Eventually, she shook her head.

"No. In fact, he had often left clues for me, as if he wanted me to figure out who he was. He had always told me that he didn't need to tell me anything about himself because I already knew everything"

Harry nodded, then dismissed Hermione, but she did not move.

"I believe that Draco Malfoy's intentions with the use of Polyjuice Potion were purely innocent. I understand why he did them. He never meant to hurt me, and I would even go so far as saying that by doing what he did, he has helped me heal mentally after the incident with his father. I know that he has pleaded guilty, but please, do not punish him for this. He does not deserve it. Please take my request into consideration. He wasn't even aware of the changes to the law, and if he had been he would not have done it." Hermione stood up. "Am I able to be excused?" She asked, looking at Shacklebolt, who nodded. Hermione left the court as soon as she could, knowing that if she had stayed she would have found herself begging on her knees for Draco and his freedom.

* * *

When Hermione got home, she beelined straight for her bedroom. Today's ordeal left her feeling drained of energy and she couldn't wait to wake up the next day and have her life go back to the normal shift at the bookshop, and alone time at home. Her entrance back into the Wizarding world wasn't as smooth as she'd hoped, and she began to wonder why she even considered it in the first place.

As she lay in her bed, hopelessly staring up at her ceiling after tossing and turning for a good forty-five minutes, she decided to get up and make herself something to eat.

As she made her way through her apartment, flicking the lights on as she went, she caught sight of a blonde haired somebody curled up on her couch. Her heart began to thump heavily in her chest as she realized who this person was.

Silently walking over, she knelt by the sleeping man. She reached up tentatively, brushing his floppy blonde hair back from his face. Lost in sleep, he looked years younger. His mouth was curved in a small smile, and his breathing was steady. Hermione leant in and kissed his forehead, but as she did, his hands shot up and brought her face to his as he pressed a soft kiss to her mouth. Startled, she jumped back slightly and hit her lower back on the coffee table.

"Ow!" She shouted. Draco sat up quickly.

"Are you okay?" He asked, his eyebrows creasing with worry. Rubbing her back, Hermione sighed.

"Well, it hurt. But it won't kill me. I will be fine." She stood up slowly, crossing her arms and staring at Draco, who looked at her sheepishly.

"Shouldn't you be in Azkaban?" She asked

"Well, everyone liked your little speech. Potter had some words with the Minister, and they decided, because I was not aware of the law, that I shouldn't be incarcerated because I didn't think I was doing anything against the law" He replied with a grin.

"And why did you plead guilty?" She demanded of him. He frowned, turning away.

"I thought it would be easier that way for me to stay away from you"

Any resentful feelings Hermione was experiencing melted away, and she reached out to touch his shoulder.

"Let's start over" She whispered. Draco turned and looked at her.

"What?" He questioned, surprised at her suggestion.

"You and me. Let's start over. Forget everything that has happened so far" Hermione pressed, taking his hands. Studying her, Draco eventually nodded.

"Tomorrow. Three o'clock. Your bookshop." He suggested, and Hermione agreed fervently with an eager nod of her head.

"It's a date" She replied with a smile.


	11. Chapter 11

**I feel like I need to apologize again, because I promised the chapter the next day, and instead I'm, what, four days late? I have all the excuses under the sun, but you guys probably just wanna read, am I right? At least this one is longer than the previous... I'm hoping to be back to the regular Wednesday updates now, so next chapter should be up then. I hope you guys had a magical Christmas (or a lovely holiday time if you celebrate something else or don't celebrate at all) and an amazing New Year. And if you're still celebrating, I hope you're having fun! Here in Australia, New Years Day is just drawing to a close. As always, reviews are so welcome.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.**

* * *

Hermione's shift at the bookshop sped by, and it was three o'clock before she knew it. The shop was unusually busy today, with the Christmas season descending upon them, and there was plenty of new shipments for Hermione to sort through. As she began to unpack the second last box, the bell rang above the door.

Her head shot up, and there stood Draco. He didn't register her though, as he made his way towards the non-fiction shelf, running his finger along the titles. She watched him the whole time, her eyes devouring his every movement. He had left his hair exactly how Hermione liked it, floppy and constantly falling into his eyes. He wore a pair of jeans and a white shirt, nice and casual. He pulled a book of the shelf and flicked through it. Keeping a hold of it, he walked up to Hermione, who hadn't taken her eyes off him. Fighting off a smile, he leant against the bookshelf casually.

"Um, hi. I was just wondering if you had any more copies of this book?" He asked her. Suddenly realising his game, Hermione stood and took the book from him. She glanced at the title ' _101 Ways to Say Sorry to Your Angry Girlfriend'_

"No, this is the only one, sorry" She replied, trying not to laugh. "You must have made your girlfriend pretty angry if you need to know 101 ways to say sorry" She said casually. Draco grinned at her.

"Nah, it's for a mate. He messed up pretty badly" He replied.

"I'm Hermione Granger" She said, sticking her hand out. Draco took it, and immediately, goose bumps littered her arms.

"Draco Malfoy" He murmured. "So, can I buy this book? My mate could really use the tips" Draco added with a smile, and Hermione grinned.

"Of course, can't leave your mate waiting" Hermione nodded as she made her way over to the cash register.

Hermione rung up the book while Draco fished the money out of his pocket. The two kept up fake small talk as they went. When it came time for Draco to leave the shop, he pulled something from his pocket and handed it to Hermione.

It was a small key, and tied to the key was a small piece of paper on a string. It had one word on it. _'Tonight'._

Draco left as soon as Hermione had the key in her hand.

She didn't know how or why she remembered, but somehow she knew. This was the key to her and Draco's apartment.

* * *

When Hermione found herself in front of the mahogany door with the exquisite gold numbers, her heart began to thump. How had he managed to keep this place? Surely he wouldn't have paid the rent the whole time…

 _Of course he would have._ Hermione thought, shaking her head. _He's so cocky and self-assured that he would have paid the rent all these years just on the thought that eventually we would come back here._

Hermione was jolted out of her thoughts by the sound of a door opening behind her. She turned around and found herself in front of tall man in a tailored suit. He looked her up and down with distasteful expression, before turning sharply and striding towards the elevator. Hermione followed him with her eyes, before glancing back at the door he had come out of. She stared at it for a long while, before she turned back to her own door. Her fingers clamped around the key tightly as she slid it into the lock. She closed her eyes as a sickness swept over her, she felt as if she would throw up at any moment. She turned the key, and pushed the door open gently.

This place had held so much happiness for her. She had shared so much here with Draco and now, everything seemed so dark. There was dust lining every surface, the colours seemed faded and the room felt small. She slowly walked around each piece of furniture, digesting everything as memories sparked in her mind. Eventually, she came face to face with the bedroom door.

 _This is where the magic happens,_ she thought bitterly as she turned the handle. The door swung open and she was greeted with the site of an unmade bed, the dresser on the floor, with all its contents strew about, and black burn marks and holes in the walls. Lucius Malfoy had obviously gone on a rampage once Hermione had fled.

Remaining untouched, however, was two boxes, one small and one large, just peeking out from under the bed. Hermione leant down beside them, before flopping unceremoniously onto the floor. She pulled the smaller box onto her lap, opening the lid. It was a pair of cream coloured heels, not too high. They would have been the perfect fit.

Reaching for the other box, Hermione knew she had some kind of inkling what it would be; and she was right. Inside the box was a navy dress that fell just above the knees. It was slim fitting, and it had a v-neck that dropped in just the right place, so it would leave much to the imagination, but still leave a nice view. The dress was something Hermione had admired in a shop window in London weeks before she was supposed to be wearing it.

Hermione felt as if her heart was in her throat as she stood to try the dress on. She got changed quickly, her eyes never leaving the dress. It slipped on perfectly, hugging her figure, as if it was made especially to her. She slid her feet into the shoes, and as she watched herself in the mirror, she tried to mimic her hair how Paolo had styled it. It wasn't the same, but it was just enough. This was how she was supposed to look on that night. It was supposed to be the happiest night of her life.

In the corner of her eye, she spotted something move. She spun around, ready to be on the defense, when she realised it was Draco. She held her hand to her heart, catching her breath.

"You scared me" She said accusingly, folding her arms.

"Sorry" He laughed, his hands at his side. "You look amazing in that dress" He added with a smile, and Hermione did a little twirl.

"It's beautiful" She commented.

"Hermione, I'm so sorry. About everything that happened. It was not the kind of thing I ever thought my father was capable of doing and I'm—" Draco said as he made his way closer to Hermione. She put her finger to his lips.

"Were moving on. Starting anew, remember?" She said softly, and he nodded. Draco opened his mouth to protest, but Hermione just shook her head.

"Let's build things from here"

Draco nodded and sat down on the end of the bed.

"I'll just go change out of this dress" Hermione walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her, locking it.

Draco smirked where he was sitting as he watched Hermione leave.

"I've seen you naked before, Hermione. You can change in front of me. Besides, you left your clothes out here" He called out. A second later, the door opened and Hermione walked out, the dress unzipped. She was clutching it to her body as she glared at Draco.

"If we are starting over then technically, you haven't ever seen me naked before" She retorted as she retreated back into the bathroom.

"Well then I guess I'll just have to convince you to get naked in front of me again" He replied with a cheeky grin.

As Hermione changed, he pulled his wand out of his pocket and muttered something. He pointed it towards the mess his father had made, and within seconds, everything was in its rightful place. He stood up and walked into the lounge room, a couple waves of the wand clearing off the dust. He looked around the apartment, a sense of home and happiness washing over him. This was where he was destined to be, with Hermione.

To think, if his father hadn't ruined everything, they could have a house by now and a baby to look after. Hermione would sing him or her to sleep every night, and then they would relax by the fire, her with a book and he with a glass of fire whiskey.

It was his dream. And by Merlin, he would make it happen. No matter what.

When Hermione came back out, she glanced around the apartment with awe.

"It looks just like before" She whispered to herself, and Draco smiled.

He sat down on the lounge and invited her over to sit with him, which she did. She left some space between them, an act that did not go unnoticed by Draco. He left his hand casually resting and open, inviting her to take it.

"Are you still married to Astoria Greengrass?" Hermione asked suddenly.

"Mother told me that Astoria got a divorce as soon as she realised that Lucius was pretending to be me, she couldn't stomach the thought of being married to a man old enough to be her father. They didn't have a happy, conventional marriage anyway. No children, slept in separate beds…" Draco responded, a scowl on his face.

"Didn't she ever ask where your mother was?" Hermione pressed on.

"He would bring her out of the dungeon once a week for dinner on a Friday night. He kept her under an imperius, so she wouldn't say a word. Astoria was never bright, so she never caught on. All beauty and no brains."

"But _surely_ she—" Hermione started, but Draco lent over and captured her lips with his own. He pulled her flush against his own body as the two melted into the kiss, feeling truly reunited. When Draco pulled back, he pecked Hermione's nose gently.

"I brought you here for us. Not for the past. No more questions" He said softly. Hermione nodded, a content smile on her face.

The two fell easily into a comfortable silence, tangled together. Draco brought his hand up to lazily stroke Hermione's hair.

They were together again.

Two weeks past with them meeting in secret at their old apartment, and they found themselves in a routine so familiar that it felt like no time had passed at all.

Hermione couldn't bring herself to tell her friends about Draco. They knew how she felt, but they would only warn her against getting involved again. No matter how many times she told them that it _wasn't_ him, that he really loved her…

Draco was yet to talk to his mother. He was thoroughly convinced that she did really have something against Hermione, and this whole ordeal was a ploy to get her son away from a 'mudblood' and into the arms of a suitable pureblood heiress. A stupid, crazy, twisted, lengthy ploy.

Tonight, though, Hermione would reintroduce Draco to her parents. Draco knew that Hermione would have told her mother and father enough about what happened for them to hold nothing but hatred towards him, but he was hoping that by the end of the night, he could win them over. Just like he had done the first time. Layers upon layers of charm, a dazzling smile and some wine, that was the trick.

That dazzling smile was plastered on his face right now as he stood on the door step of Hermione's parent's home. He turned the expensive bottle of wine in his arm so that the label would be facing whoever opened the door. He made sure that he would get their favourite.

Hermione gripped his other hand in her free hand as she knocked on the door.

"Hermione's here!" A male voice shouted from inside, and within seconds, Mrs Granger was standing before them.

"Hermione, dear!" She delighted, hugging her only daughter.

"Hi, mum" Hermione replied, kissing her mother's cheek. When the two women had pulled apart, Mrs Granger's eyes fell on Draco.

She looked between the couple, her eyes wide.

"Hermione… what is _he_ doing here?" She stage whispered, and Draco tried to keep the smile on his face at her accusing tone. Maybe winning them over would be harder than he thought.

Hermione tugged Draco closer to her.

"Mum, you remember Draco, don't you?" Hermione asked sweetly. Jean glared at him, her arms folded.

"How could I forget" She spoke icily.

"Well, we've decided to work everything out again. Mum, I love Draco so much. And he loves me. And we both really want this to work. He hasn't come to beg forgiveness, he's come to make amends and held get things back to how they used to be. He even brought your favourite wine" Hermione pleaded with her mother. Draco held the bottle up. Jean softened slightly.

"We will talk about it inside over dinner" She said, as she motioned for them to pass her. "Hermione is here, love. And she brought _Draco_ with her!" Jean called out to her husband. Johnathon Granger walked in, brandishing a knife, a stripy apron tied around his neck and waist.

" _Draco?_ I thought I said that that young man was never to set foot in my house again!" He said hotly, and Draco stepped back, eyes wide.

"Dad! Please. Let's just have dinner, and we will explain everything" Hermione said as Jean tried to pry the knife away from her husband's waving arm. Johnathon glared untrustingly at Draco, who held onto Hermione tightly.

"Hermione, I don't think this is such a good idea… you parents hate me" He whispered, and she smiled at him.

"Relax. They will warm up to you again" She assured him, and he shook his head.

"Did you hear your father? Did you see that _knife?_ " He said quickly. Hermione pulled him into the dining room, biting back a laugh.

"Just be yourself" She whispered into his ear.

"Myself wants to make a beeline for the front door and go have a milkshake in a tiny café somewhere with you" He replied, reluctantly following her.


	12. Chapter 12

**I'm so sorry. Whenever I sat down to write this chapter I would just have total mind blanks and I feel like I lost the plot line and what I was trying to achieve. I've finally finished this chapter, though I am no where near happy with it. I'm trying to keep consistently writing but it's proven quite difficult, and so I'm not going to 'solemly swear' anything. I have gotten a better focus of where I'm going now so hopefully I can get the chapters out much more frequently than I have been. Here is chapter 12, and if you're still sticking with me, I thank you so much.**

 **Disclaimer: I don't Harry Potter.**

* * *

By the end of the night, Jean and Johnathon Granger were gushing over Draco once more. Hermione watched them interact with each other, a smile on her face. Her parents adored him when they first got together, despite her telling them all through Hogwarts about how much she hated him, and they adored him just as much now.

It had taken two hours worth of explaining the situation for Hermione's parents to finally understand. This time, though, she didn't leave out any details. She told them everything, explaining the magic behind it all, and how the ordeal had strengthened her relationship with Draco. They glowed at Hermione's return to happiness, and made Draco swear to return again soon, to which he happily obliged.

"Goodbye, Draco, dear. Goodnight, Hermione!" Jean called once more as the couple stood on the step.

"Goodnight" They relied simultaneously as the door shut. Hermione turned to Draco, barely able to contain her smile.

"That went well" She said simply. Draco studied her for a few moments. He reached out and grabbed her hands, before pulling her flush against him, kissing her deeply. Hermione immediately brought her hands up to his hair, entangling her fingers within the soft blonde strands. They melted into each other, bathed in the porch light, lost in their own little world.

When they pulled apart, Draco rested his forehead against Hermione's. "Let's go get a milkshake" He whispered. Hermione nodded, and Draco pulled her closer, encircling her with his arms, turning them on the spot. They landed in an alley way, and Hermione steadied herself by grabbing his forearms quickly. When she was stable, she smiled at him and let go, turning around.

"Wait" Draco murmured. Hermione turned back, looking at him quizzically. Draco took a step closer to her, taking her hand. He leant in a pressed a sweet kiss to her lips, before pulling back. "Thank you"

"For what?" Hermione responded softly.

"For being you" Was Draco's reply. Hermione smiled at him, and together they walked out of the alleyway. A diner sat across the street, obviously quiet after the dinner rush. A young girl was mopping the floor, while and older women leaned against the front counter.

Draco and Hermione walked in, the little bell dinging above them. The girl looked up, smiled at them, before going back to her mopping.

"Still open?" Draco inquired of the older woman.

"Closing in ten" She relied.

"Is that enough time for two milk-" He began to ask.

"Just one, I'll share yours, Draco" Hermione interjected quickly.

"One milkshake?" Draco finished with a laugh.

With a nod, the woman moved over to an old fashioned looking milkshake maker.

"What flavour?" She asked.

"Just chocolate, thanks" Draco replied.

Draco wrapped an arm around Hermione as they waited, and she lent into his side.

"Are you guys a couple? You're, like, really really cute together" The young girl asked them as she went past with the mop. Hermione grinned at the girl.

"Thankyou" She replied as Draco chuckled. The older woman came over and handed them their milkshake, which Hermione took. Draco fished his wallet out of his pocket, and handed over a few muggle coins, before they left the diner.

They walked slowly along the footpath, chatting idly, the plastic cup passed between them.

When the conversation fell for a few minutes and all they could hear was the distant rumble of cars and horns, Hermione pulled on Draco's arm gently, and they stopped walking.

"Draco, I think it's time we talk to the others about us" Hermione said. Draco took a deep breath, running his hands over his face.

"I was secretly hoping you would never bring that up" He said. "For one, its not going to go well. And second, everything has been so serene and perfect without them always around…" He told her, a frown on his face. Hermione folded her arms, rolling her eyes.

"They're my friends, Draco. I can't… we can't just not tell them. It's not like last time" She replied.

"No, it's not like last time. The situation is even worse. I'm sure that if Potter ever saw me again he wouldn't be too kind"

"Harry wouldn't do anything."

"Don't even get me started on Weasley…"

"Last names? Really Draco? You've known them how long? You've had civilized conversations with them before, you've gotten along with them before…" Hermione was visibly annoyed as she tapped her foot, while Draco shook his head and sighed.

"I just… I don't think I can, Hermione"

"Please, Draco. Don't say you can't, because if you say you can't then I will have to choose and don't you dare make me choose. I can't live a life where I am lying to my best friends and secretly seeing you! We shouldn't have to hide anymore Draco. Harry and Ron were there for me when you weren't, and they will understand how happy you make even after all that happened. And besides, I'm sure the Weasleys would love a chance to thank you for your generous donation of money towards them after the interview."

"Hermione you are the most brilliant person I know. If anyone can figure out a way around it, you can. But for now, I'm sticking with the coward's way out because honestly, I'm terrified of them." Draco admitted as Hermione shook her head.

"I'm going to tell them whether you're there or not" She stated. Draco frowned and reached out for her hand, but she turned away.

"Maybe we should just go home" Draco sighed with resignation.

Hermione nodded and turned sharply, disappearing. Draco stared at the now unoccupied space before him, a rush of annoyance passing through him at the brunette girl.

* * *

Hermione felt bad at arguing with Draco over Harry and Ron, but she knew that telling them were steps towards repairing their relationship and starting anew. As she fumbled around in her kitchen, making a cup of tea, she heard the front door open and close. A few moments later, Draco was leaning against the doorway, watching her.

"I don't want to argue with you about something so trivial, Hermione" He said. Hermione set the milk she had just retrieved from the fridge down on the counter, and looked at him.

"It's not trivial, Draco. It's important to me. Extremely important. I can't… it's hard for me, hiding things from my best friends. This would help us, stepping back into the Wizarding world as an official couple would help us" Hermione tried to tell him, but Draco shook his head.

"How would that help us? One picture and we'll have the _Daily Prophet_ all over us like leeches! If we land in Diagon Alley, we'd be swarmed within moments. There are already rumours circulating about us after your spiel during the trial, imagine how people will react if they know they are true! This could be our chance the actually be happy, without all the drama that happened last time, because we all know how much of a nightmare that was!" He spat out. Hermione took a small step back, and suddenly this conversation seemed very familiar to her. They had almost the same conversation when they first got together, an argument that almost broke them up.

"It was a nightmare to be with me?" Hermione asked, affronted. "Well excuse me, Draco, but it wasn't exactly peachy being with the son of Voldemort's right hand man! Especially after all the years at Hogwarts!" She countered.

"Merlin, how many times do I have to apologise for the way I acted?! I was a scared young boy under the orders of his tyrannical father! I had no choice! And you know what? You weren't exactly the Gryffindor Princess everyone made you out to be! I can't count on all my fingers and toes the amount of times you and the rest of group of ridiculous Potter-worshipping friends broke the rules and still got away with it! I mean, you set Snape's robes on fire, brewed Polyjuice in second year, snuck an illegal dragon out, spied on people, started an illegal gro-"

"Don't. You. Dare. Draco, don't you dare stand there and list everything I did wrong in Hogwarts because if you're going to start that then I have five hundred foot long list I can give you of everything _you_ did wrong!"

"Oh yes, Hermione, because you _always_ have to have a retort and an argument for everything. Bloody hell." Draco shook his head and turned away, combing his hand through his hair.

"Don't you turn away from me! We're not done here!" Hermione said heatedly as the kettle on the stove behind her started to scream.

"I think we are" Draco replied quietly, not looking back as he left the room.

Hermione turned sharply and glared at the inanimate object.

"Shut up!" She screamed at it, stomping over and turning the gas off, quieting the whistling noise.

As far as she was aware, Draco had left the apartment. As she drifted in and out of an uneasy sleep that night, she felt a heavy weight lay down beside her. The bed was filled with warmth as she was pulled flush against Draco's chest and she immediately relaxed into his embrace. As they spooned, he kissed her neck, wrapping his arms around her stomach.

"I'm sorry. I love you. Unconditionally." He whispered into her ear, his hot breath causing her to shiver.

* * *

Hermione was having the best sleep ever. She was so comfortable, cuddled against a hard mass that emitted the most delicious heat. Her legs were entangled within this mass, and she could hear a steady beat that settled her and made her smile. When a soft noise escaped from this mass, Hermione's eyes slowly opened. She met bare skin, and she became aware of an arm holding her against a body. Her eyes roamed upwards and they saw a curved smile, closed eyes and a blonde angel who lay blissfully asleep. As if in a trance, her hand came up, her index finger tracing the angel's jaw line.

"So pretty" She murmured.

She wondered what it would be like to kiss this angel… his lips were drawing her in, parted gently. She moved in his arms, propping herself above him and she gently closed the distance between them. He was unresponsive at first, still unaware of her actions, but as her tongue gently glided across his mouth, his opened with a flash. In seconds, he had rolled them over and he was balanced over her, the muscles in his arms constricting as he held himself there. Hermione froze, snapping out of her trance like state as she found herself looking up into the steel grey eyes of Draco.

"What I wouldn't give to be woken up like that every morning" He murmured. Hermione fidgeted under his hungry gaze, though she did not break eye contact.

"About last night…" She began in a hushed tone, but he silenced her with a kiss.

"Not now. Later, but not now" He replied against her skin. He lent closer to her, pressing feverish kisses along her cheekbones. "Let's just enjoy this moment, right here, just the two of us. After all, we always did enjoy morning activities of the bedroom kind" He whispered with a smirk, and Hermione flushed a bright red, nodding mutely. Draco slowly lowered his body, inching closer to her, never breaking eye contact.

Afterwards, they lay still on separate sides of the bed. Their hands barely touched, but the electricity and magic that lay dormant in the air was enough to tell the couple that whatever happened, they would be okay.

* * *

 **As always, reviews and feedback is welcome and greatly appreciated. :)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Oh my gosh! I am sooooooooo sorry to anyone who was reading this story! I havent updated since January! I feel horrible! It always just escaped my mind for ages, and then I went to Europe for nine weeks... oops! Well! Heres the next chapter! Apologies, its a bit short. Hope you guys like it!**

* * *

Draco didn't know why he convinced himself that life with Hermione would be easier this time around. He had forgotten how… demanding she was. How particular she was about everything. The littlest of things sent her into fit, which would in turn led to more and more arguments, between them.

Yet still, he would not change it for the world. Everything seemed right, now. He had a huge, empty hole in his heart for so long… and now it was filled. He had even managed to get her to hold off the Weasley and Potter reunion for a few weeks, even though the topic was still very hot. Almost every day, she'd make some kind of remark about it.

She had tried to convince him to come to Luna Lovegood's wedding, which resulted in an argument that led to two full days without them talking. She tried to talk him into dinner parties, lunch reunions, Quidditch matches… yet still he would not budge. Plain and simple, Draco was terrified of them. They had not thrown him in Azkaban, but that wouldn't have stopped them from hating his entire being. Especially Weasley.

Hermione had made a full return to the Wizarding World, giving her job up at the bookshop, with promise to return often, having accepted the position as Head of the Mistreatment of Magical Creatures office in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, and a week in was already shining, everyone singing her praises. The Daily Prophet had, of course, jumped on the chance to write an article about her return, which also lead to speculation on the whereabouts of Draco and if Hermione was seeing him at all. Questions she had refused to answer, which fueled rumours that either he was dead, or they were seeing each other secretly. Draco liked to pretend it was the former.

His constant opposition to the idea of them becoming a public couple was beginning to make Hermione feel as if he was ashamed to be with her—a feeling she had not had since they had first began dating the first time. She knew it wasn't true, but there was that small nagging feeling in the back of her mind that just told her differently. She had only brought it up with him once, when they were together on the couch, her head on his lap, as they both read.

"Draco…" Hermione begun quietly, as she closed her book and rested it on her stomach.

"Yeah?" He replied, absent minded.

"You… you aren't ashamed of me are you?" She approached cautiously, holding her breath. She felt him stiffen beneath her, and within seconds his finger was pushing her chin up so she could see him, and he could see her. His eyes bored into hers as she lay on his lap, his face unreadable.

"Sit up" He told her, and when she did he moved to kneel on the floor in front of her, his hand holding hers tightly. When she didn't meet his gaze, he used his other hand to grasp her chin gently, forcing her to look at him.

"Hermione Jean Granger" He murmured, his thumb rubbing circles over her cheekbone. "I love you more than life itself. There is nothing, _nothing,_ more important in this world to me than you. You've had this insecurity since the moment we first started dating, and I've told so many times, I'm not ashamed of you. I could never _be_ ashamed of you. I just like my privacy. And I like having you all to myself." He reassured her, propping himself up onto the lounge to sit beside her. She turned to face him, a small smile tugging at the end of her lips.

"I know… I'm sorry. I'm just being silly" She replied. Placing his hands on either side of her face, Draco lent in and pressed a kiss to her lips.

"I love you" He whispered softly.

"I love you" She repeated.

Things got slightly better after that. Hermione tried to put all thoughts of the prospect of him being ashamed away from her mind, while Draco become slightly more willing to discuss his reintroduction to her friends and the rest of the world.

The opportunity soon presented itself, in the form of an invitation.

The owl tapped its beak on the window, and Draco, who was lying on the couch flicking through a muggle magazine in Hermione's apartment, stood to let it in. He recognised it immediately as a Ministry Owl, and he figured whatever it carried must be for Hermione. He pet it gently, before untying the two rolls of parchment from its foot and sending it on its way.

He unrolled the first parchment and wasn't surprised to see it was addressed to his girlfriend, but it was its contents that shocked him more.

 _Dear Ms Granger_

 _On May 2_ _nd_ _1998, the second Wizarding World War came to a victorious end with the defeat of the Darkest Wizard known to all magical persons. To celebrate this, and the rebuilding of the Wizarding World after the effects of the War, you are invited to spend a night of celebrations in the Great Hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as an honorary guest for your role in the War._

 _At this event you, among others, will receive the Order of Merlin First Class for showing acts of outstanding bravery at the Battle of Hogwarts on May 2_ _nd_ _1998._

 _Please also find your formal invitation attached._

 _Regards,_

 _Kingsley Shacklebolt_

 _Minister for Magic_

"Order of Merlin… first class…" Draco murmured to himself as he read it again, disbelievingly. He then unrolled the next piece of parchment, scribed in an exquisite gold colour.

 _This invitation signifies that_

Hermione Jean Granger

 _Is hereby cordially invited to the first annual ball of remembrance for the Second Wizarding War and the Battle of Hogwarts._

 _The event will take place in the Great Hall of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, on May 2_ _nd_ _, at 7:30pm sharp._

 _There will be dancing, music, light refreshments and drinks, followed by a three course meal._

 _Formal dress is required._

 _Invitee is allowed one (1) guest._

 _Please confirm the attendance of yourself and your guest with the Ministry of Magic's event manager Lavender Brown within the week, contactable through the office of the Senior Undersecretary to the Minster for Magic._

After rereading both pieces of parchment a handful of times, Draco decided what he needed to do. Rolling the parchments back up, he placed them into the mail basket on Hermione's kitchen counter. Picturing a storefront in his mind, Draco turned on the spot.

* * *

Packing the handful of items on her desk into a bag, Hermione left her office. She offered quick goodbyes to her colleagues, before making her way to Harry's office.

Not stopping to wait and see if he was busy, and ignoring the protests of his assistant Andrea, Hermione stepped into his office without invitation, as she normally did. Before her presence was made aware of she was met with shouting, then six pairs of eyes, all staring at her in shock. Harry, Ron, the Minister for Magic, as well as three others she didn't know were all seated around a magically elongated table, bent over a letter.

"Oh… sorry… I didn't know you were in a meeting…" She stammered immediately. Harry stood immediately, the sound of his chair making a screeching sound along the floor.

"Hermione" He said, stepping in front of her. "Don't be sorry. We were about to call you in here anyway. There's something you should know" Hermione immediately recognised his bad news tone of voice, and the worry lines creased in his forehead caused her heart to start hammering.

"What's happened?" She asked shakily. Harry grabbed her hand, squeezing it tightly as he opened his mouth to reply, but the deep, soothing voice of Kingsley Shacklebolt beat him to it.

"Lucius Malfoy has been released from Azkaban"

* * *

 **Cliff hanger! Again, I'm really sorry for the abandonment. Hopefully it doesn't happen again... Reviews and feedback are very much welcome!**


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